A pandemic isn’t going to stop shopping malls and tourist hotspots from bringing their A-game when it comes to celebrating Chinese New Year. From Chinatown to Gardens by the Bay, these are some of the coolest ox-themed displays around Singapore that you can check out over the long CNY weekend.
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Singapore’s first drive-through exhibition Moo Moo Park is dedicated entirely to the cultural significance of the ox. The park has futuristic installations and displays including eight oxen sculptures designed by local artists including Puffingmuffin and André Wee.
Those without a driver’s license need not fret – you’ll be chauffeured through the gallery in the comfort of an electric car ($10/pax). But there’s also the option of a walkabout tour ($5/pax) for those who want to get up close and personal with the funky installations.
Address: Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, Level 6 Carpark, 1 Straits Boulevard, Singapore 018906
Opening hours: 12PM-10PM, Daily (display ends 28th March 2021)
Moo Moo Park website
Image credit: Gardens by the Bay
This year’s theme for Gardens by the Bay’s floral display is Dahlia Dreams, and it’s the first time that homegrown dahlias are being exhibited at the gardens. Expect to see over 1,400 blooms of the pretty flowers as you stroll through the Flower Dome.
But the striking star of the show is the hulking metal ox that stands strong in a field of dahlias.
Image credit: Gardens by the Bay
Amidst the exhibition are also other places perfect for your CNY OOTDs, like the vibrant lion dance display and a globe decorated with over 200 lanterns.
Address: Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Drive, Singapore 018953
Opening hours: 9AM-9PM, Daily (display ends 21st February 2021)
Gardens by the Bay Website
Image credit: Chinatown Festivals
The annual street light-up at Chinatown always brings a splash, and this year’s display along Eu Tong Sen Street and New Bridge road is no different. A 10M-tall ox standing on a heap of gold coins is flanked by a water wheel and a river to symbolise the flow of wealth and fortune.
And it isn’t a legit display in Chinatown if there’s no auspicious meaning behind it. 88 smaller oxen statues representing double joy in Chinese culture “graze” on the grass behind the big ox, which has led some people to dub Chinatown an “ox farm.”
Do you remember which animal crossed the finish line for the Great Zodiac Race first?
Image credit: Chinatown Festivals
Those that love to coo at cute animals should also check out South Bridge Road where strings of zodiac animal lanterns are on display. They were designed in collaboration with students at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, and they’re lined up in the order that they finished the fabled Great Zodiac Race.
Address: Along New Bridge Road, Eu Tong Sen Street, and South Bridge Road
Opening hours: Lights go up from 7PM-12AM, Daily (display ends 12th March 2021)
Chinatown Festivals website
The Love (left) and Health (right) oxen.
Image credit: Marina Bay Sands
The five modern-looking oxen at Marina Bay Sands represent the core CNY “values” – love, health, prosperity, luck, and family.
They’re placed throughout the sprawling hotel and shopping complex, so here’s where to look: the love and health oxen are located at the Grand Colonnade South of The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sand; the luck ox is at the North Promenade of the Shoppes; the prosperity ox is by the Digital Light Canvas at the Shoppes; the family oxen are located at the hotel’s lobby.
The family and friends oxen at Marina Bay Sand’s hotel lobby
Image credit: Marina Bay Sands
Address: The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956
Opening hours:
Love, Health, Luck, Prosperity Ox: 10AM-10PM, Daily (display ends 28th February 2021)
Family Ox: 24 hours, Daily (display ends 28th February 2021)
Marina Bay Sands website
The cheeky otter tribes around Singapore are some of our most beloved animals, and Chinatown Point is celebrating them this year with their adorable figurines. Five life-sized otters have been dressed in traditional CNY clothes like they’re going to bai nian – one of the otters even has horns to mimic an ox!
Address: 133 New Bridge Road, Singapore 059413
Opening hours: 10AM-10PM, Daily (display ends 28th February 2021)
Chinatown Point website
Image credit: @kkxxin_
During this festive season, you can get more than a photo-op with an indoor waterfall at Jewel Changi Airport’s Shiseido Forest Valley. The 12 zodiac animals have “come to life” around the Rain Vortex, and here’s even a QR code you can scan to check out your zodiac forecast for 2021.
Address: Shiseido Forest Valley, Jewel Changi Airport, 78 Airport Boulevard, Singapore 819666
Opening hours: 24 hours, Daily
Jewel Changi Airport website
The Lego Festive Carnival has extended to celebrate the Lunar New Year and the ox
Image credit: CapitaLand
Lego is something that will always hold a special place in our hearts even when we’re no longer sitting at the kids table. This CNY season, 13 shopping centres around Singapore are decked out with life-size Lego sets that celebrate the Year of the Ox.
It’s the perfect opportunity to channel your inner child and grab a selfie with these whimsical Lego builds. If you like collecting Whatsapp stickers, there’s also a cute Lego-themed sticker pack so you can send all the “Happy Niu Year” greetings to your family group chats.
Participating malls: Bedok Mall, Bukit Panjang Plaza, Bugis+, Bugis Junction, Funan, IMM, JCube, Junction 8, Lot One Shoppers’ Mall, Plaza Singapura, SingPost Centre, Tampines Mall, and Westgate
Whether you live out in the heartlands or you love visiting Jewel Changi Airport for the most aesthetic IG selfies, you can still go gai gai with your fam and check out the Chinese New Year displays.
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Cover image adapted from (L): Gardens by the Bay
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