SINGAPORE NIGHT FESTIVAL 2026: SOME PHOTOS FROM THE THIRD NIGHT / Part 1

We had so much fun on the opening night of the Singapore Night Festival 2026 that we simply had to come back. On this Sunday evening, we focused our attention to the area nearer to Stamford Road / Raffles City / Funan Mall. The civic district is small enough and easy to navigate, so no sight is too long a walk away. Enough said, here are the photos.

We began our walk outside Funan Mall.

Whatever this was, it looked stunning.

Then we worked our way to
Armenian Street, outside the Peranakan Museum.

The Birdmen of Close-Act have returned!

Judging by the response,
the Birdmen were a great hit.

The static illumination of Stamford Place.

Continued in Part 2:

pianomania: SINGAPORE NIGHT FESTIVAL 2026: SOME PHOTOS FROM THE THIRD NIGHT / Part 2

Singapore Night Festival 2026

SINGAPORE NIGHT FESTIVAL 2026: SOME PHOTOS FROM THE THIRD NIGHT / Part 2

I simply cannot get enough of night illuminations, so here are more photographs from the Singapore Night Festival 2026. For the first time in 17 editions, I got off my butt to do some walking without having to go to concerts. The symphony of light I was to be witness was just as good.

CHIJmes Chapel get the
dressing up it richly deserves.

For once, you can see the stained glass
of CHIJmes Chapel at night. 

Projections of Singapore mythology
and lore on Stamford Passage.

This place can give you nightmares.

See what I mean?

Not scary enough? Here's another one.

Outside Raffles City.

The arts market at Capitol Square.

See also Part 1:

pianomania: SINGAPORE NIGHT FESTIVAL 2026: SOME PHOTOS FROM THE THIRD NIGHT / Part 1

Singapore Night Festival 2026

SINGAPORE NATIONAL MUSEUM @ SINGAPORE NIGHT FESTIVAL 2026

It's been a long time since we've last visited the National Museum. The Singapore Night Festival 2026 provided the opportunity to do what we had missed over the years, and many people thought the same way too. A large throng of humanity surged into its wide chambers to attend two free exhibitions of Singapore history - Once Upon A Tide and Singapore Odyssea - A Journey Through Time. Both of dwelled on Singapore's maritime history and how that led to the development of a modern metropolis. 

How migrant workers lived in the old days.

1938 Map of Singapore

Lai Kui Fang's photo-realistic
oil painting of Singapore skyline in 1976.

Autistic savant Stephen Wiltshire's
impressive Singapore panorama of 2014
Small point: Where's Esplanade? 

Stephen Wiltshire's Singapore Panorama drawing

Artistic icons: Choo Hoey conducting
in Belgium in 1958.

Margaret Leng Tan's toy piano.

Singapore in history,
as viewed in the Glass Rontunda.

Frankly, I don't know what this was about!

The ubiquitous Yip Yew Chong
strikes again, under a staircase.

Once Upon a Tide: Singapore's Journey from Settlement to Global City

Singapore Odyssea: A Journey Through Time

SINGAPORE NIGHT FESTIVAL 2026: SOME PHOTOS FROM THE FIRST NIGHT

The Singapore Night Festival (SNF) is in its 17th edition, and shockingly, I've never attended any event or display until this year. It was the Light To Night Festival held earlier in the year which piqued my interest, especially the illuminations that grace our national monuments and public buildings. These are simply brilliant and never fail to capture the imagination.  

Our walk started outside Plaza Singapura.

Temasek Shophouse

SNF is even bigger and better, involving more precincts and content creators within Singapore's civic district. Only time and distance limited the extent of our wanderings. Having parked at Plaza Singapura, we managed to walk to The Cathay Building, Singapore Management University and the National Museum and back. That means another visit to the other buildings is imperative. The festival runs from 21 August to 5 September.

THE CATHAY:

MALAM PROJECTION

MAPPING COMPETITION

The art deco facade of The Cathay Building (completed in 1939) is formed by pillars, fins, bay windows and contours upon which illuminations can be smartly and snugly projected. That is the basis of Malam Projection Mapping Competition which has attracted 18 entries, mostly from Singapore and Indonesia. Each projection plays for half-a-minute and all are played in an extremely colourful and creative loop. Enjoy.

Moving on to the National Museum of Singapore, which was where the festival opening took place. Besides the illuminations, the main attraction was the Birdmen from Close-Act Theatre (Netherlands). These graceful stilt-walkers resembled a cross between pre-historic flightless birds, dinosaurs and pterodactyls, and their procession in the Bras Basah area were literally traffic and show-stoppers.

On Friday and Saturday evenings during the festival's run, National Museum is open till late for visitors to view the exhibits of Once Upon A Tide and Singapore Odyssea - A Journey Through Time (photos of which will come at a later post). This was the perfect opportunity to visit a national tourist attraction which I had not been for years. Afterwards, the illuminations projected on the museum main building were truly sights to behold.

TALES OF EARTH AND SEA

NATIONAL MUSEUM

Singapore Night Festival 2026