The best things to do in Singapore this weekend (December 12-14)

Step into the surreal world of Skullpanda at the Skullpanda Cage-Uncage Showcase, an immersive, thought-provoking exhibition making its Singapore stop at the National Museum of Singapore. Fans of the cult-favourite Pop Mart figurines will be able to wander through six themed, interactive zones, including several that are exclusive to Singapore – each an introspective exploration of identity, choices, and contradictions. After the showcase, head to the accompanying pop-up store, which is stocked with limited-edition merchandise available only to ticketholders. Tickets for the showcase, which runs until February 22, range from $14 to $36.

Wax sculptor Janie Korn debuts in Singapore with Cirque Korn, a charmingly surreal exhibition at Heartware Store & Gallery. Known for her whimsical carvings – featured in The New York Times, Vogue and Refinery29 – the New York-born, London-based artist transforms circus nostalgia into candle sculptures bursting with personality. Look out for dancing poodles, can-can girls, clown bears and a towering acrobat totem, all rendered in Korn’s playful, slightly off-kilter style. As part of the run, she’ll host an intimate one-night-only artist sharing session, offering insight into her creative process, her love of wax and the stories behind her eccentric characters. Limited seats mean booking early is a must.

Kopitiam culture takes the spotlight at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre’s Brewing Nostalgia, a regional photo showcase by award-winning travel writer-photographer Lester V. Ledesma. The exhibition features 24 evocative black-and-white images captured across Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, tracing the shared rituals of old-school coffee shops.

From Tanglin Halt’s Peking Room and Penang’s iconic Kek Seng to Bangkok’s Suriya Coffee, the photos reveal warm, intimate slices of everyday life. The project marks SCCC’s first collaboration with the Malaysian and Thai embassies, celebrating 60 years of diplomatic ties. 

Calling all pop culture fans: Mandarin Gallery’s The Holiday Caravan is your festive-season stop for exclusive music merch and fan-favourite collectibles. For a limited time, the Christmas pop-up transforms the mall’s outdoor plaza with three themed booths to explore.

The Carnival of Surprises taps into the blind box craze with treats from Hello Kitty & Friends, SpongeBob SquarePants and exclusive One Piece merch. Artist Universe by ArtisynX brings global musician drops and pop culture apparel from names like Ed Sheeran, G-Dragon, Rosé and Baekhyun – refreshed with new releases throughout. Mandopop lovers, don’t skip Jay Chou’s “Chou Chou” booth, packed with limited-edition blind boxes, figurines and Singapore-themed merch.

Get into the holiday spirit at Resorts World Sentosa’s Season of Good as the resort transforms into a full-on yuletide wonderland. Expect dazzling light installations, festive performances and plenty of heartwarming moments with your loved ones. At WEAVE, meet Santa and his elves, enjoy carollers and pop-jazz renditions of Christmas classics, or snap the perfect family photo in front of a 10-metre sparkling tree. Across RWS, popular attractions like Singapore Oceanarium are also extending their hours – which means more time to explore and soak festive music by the Open Ocean Habitat or immerse in interactive zones at Hangyodon Marine Discovery.

To find out more about the merry-making at RWS, hit Read More link below. 

All aboard! The Christmas Train Show at Gardens by the Bay is back with more festive fun for train lovers. Nearly 20 model trains will run along a 145-metre track inside the Flower Dome, now transformed into an American-inspired landscape complete with mini versions of the Statue of Liberty, Grand Central Terminal and San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.

In honour of Singapore’s 60th birthday, this year’s display adds a local twist with a specially commissioned SMRT train passing handcrafted landmarks like the Toa Payoh Dragon Playground and heritage shophouses. You’ll also find a Danish Christmas scene with a 5-metre LEGO tree and miniature Nyhavn, surrounded by 7,000 seasonal plants.

Celebrate the start of the festive season at Singapore's biggest Christmas light-up This year’s decorations commemorate Singapore’s 60th birthday by incorporating quintessentially local symbols — such as the SG60 logo and the Merlion — into the usual Christmas wreaths and elegant swathes of ribbon. In addition to the light-up, keep a lookout for four photo installations and a photo podium along the road, where you’ll get to snap festive photos with your loved ones. And that’s not all — be sure to stop by the revamped Great Christmas Village, which will feature a Kiztopia Christmas Carnival with games, rides, festive treats, homegrown craft beer, and unique shopping experiences.

It's a Barbie Christmas at Wisma Atria, where the mall has been transformed into a sparkling pink wonderland filled with photo ops, interactive exhibits, and festive fun. Out, a six-metre-tree decked with bejewelled butterflies, glowing baubles, and a crown almost steals the show – but the heart of it all is Wings of Christmas at the Indoor Atrium. This is a dazzling displays of over 70 one-of-a-kind Barbie dolls dressed in sustainable fashion by Singaporeans artists and LASELLE students. Selected couture dolls will be auctioned for charity, but Barbie fans can also join Wings of Childhood workshops every Saturday till December 20 craft angel wings for their dolls.

Discover unexpected artworks embedded within familiar, everyday settings at the Singapore Biennale, which makes an ambitious return this year under the evocative title, 'pure intention'. The contemporary arts festival invites audiences to explore the duality of Singapore’s layered urban story, in which both meticulous urban planning coexists with serendipitous surprises.

This year’s edition features over 100 new and existing artworks, which are situated across the Civic District, Orchard Road, the Rail Corridor, and the SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark. The artworks on display are not just visual – some are also immersive, interactive, and multi-sensorial, such as Taiwanese artist Huang Po-Chih's Momocha, featuring a series of kombucha flavours, to Filipino artist Eisa Jocson's The Filipino Superwoman X H.O.M.E. Karaoke Living Room, which transforms a shop unit into a space reminiscent of a Filipino living room.

Local music gets its moment in A Love Song, a photo exhibition by Mary-Ann Teo spanning three decades of Singapore's gig scene, from the 1990s heyday of Force Vomit and The Stoned Revivals to new names like The CB Dogs and True Anger. Part documentation, part love letter, Teo's work captures the grit, glow, and heart that keep our music community alive. The exhibition opens with a full day of live sets by homegrown acts including TypeWriter, The Oddfellows, Leslie Low, and Hanging Up The Moon, plus exclusive merch from The Oddfellows and The CB Dogs. 

Step into a radical vision of the future at the ArtScience Museum, where Another World Is Possible is on display from September 13, 2025 to February 22, 2026. The exhibition presents a distinctly Singaporean perspective on what lies ahead, emphasising environmental pragmatism, careful planning and a sense of responsibility for the world to come. This ethos is reflected throughout the exhibition’s architecture, design and artworks.

Highlights include pieces by filmmaker and speculative architect Liam Young, alongside works from both international and local creatives such as Björk, Torlarp Larpjaroensook, Osbourne Macharia, Ong Kian Peng, Jakob Kudsk Steensen, Ming Wong and others, offering a thought-provoking exploration of how art and design imagine possible futures.

Mahjong, congkak, Go...there innumerable Asian games we're sure are part of your fondest childhood memories. This September, the Asian Civilisations Museum is exhibiting Let's Play! The Art and Design of Asian Games, which takes a look at how these games, whether sporty or strategic, have evolved and shaped communities and traditions over time. Explore more than 150 games, and actually try them out at interactive installations. There'll be fun outdoor set-ups and talks and programmes throughout the exhibitions long run, too (until June 7, 2026).