CNY 2026 is just around the corner, and you know what that means: it’s time for the yearly mad scramble for the prettiest angbaos. If you’re tired of the basic supermarket and bank designs, the Museum Roundtable (MR) Hongbao Campaign is back for the Year of the Horse.
From 23rd January to 15th February 2026, you can go on a massive museum crawl across Singapore to collect 49 unique red packet designs. Whether you’re a hardcore collector or just want to impress your relatives with cute angbaos, here’s the lowdown on how to snag them for free.
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Every Lunar New Year, the National Heritage Board (NHB) rolls out its signature angbao hunt to get Singaporeans all hyped for the festive season. It’s basically a massive islandwide mission where participating museums and galleries drop exclusive, limited-edition red packets inspired by the year’s Chinese Zodiac animal.
NGL, it’s a genius way to get people to actually step into our local museums, and since the designs are so chio, many collectors even hunt down special albums just to show off the full set.
This isn’t your average red packet set. NHB has come up with a super cute horse mascot, but there’s a catch: every single museum has its own version!
For example, the horse at the Singapore Air Force Museum might look like a pilot, while the one at The Intan will be decked out in Peranakan finery. With 49 participating spots, including the ArtScience Museum, MINT Museum of Toys, and even the HDB LIVINGSPACE Gallery, you’ve got your work cut out for you.
Simply visit each of them! While you’re there, you’ll need to complete an activity before being eligible to collect your set of 6 red packets. At some museums, there’s a game like locating a certain artefact; while at others you simply have to leave a review or follow their socials.
For the full list of 49 participating museums and eligibility criteria for each, visit the 2026 Museum Roundtable Lunar New Year Hongbao Campaign website.
If you want to feel like you’re in an episode of The Amazing Race, head over to these 6 specific NHB museums:
Instead of just asking the counter staff, you’ll have to play the Hongbao Hunt game.
Screenshot from: NHB
Step 1: Log in to their online game portal and connect using your Singpass.
Hint: The artefact for the Asian Civilisation Museum lies in the Maritime Trade room.
Step 2: Solve a riddle to find a specific artefact, and scan it with your phone camera.
Screenshot from: NHB
Step 3: Once you’ve completed the task and unlocked the achievement, click on “Claim Reward Now”. A QR code will pop up for you to redeem your loot at a vending machine. Steady pom pi pi!
You’ll have to do this at each of the 6 museums to complete the Hungbao Hunt. Check the rewards page to see if they still have stock before heading down, so you aren’t disappointed with an empty vending machine. Other than that, it’s pretty simple to participate.
If visiting 49 locations sounds like too much cardio, NHB is giving away full sets of all 49 designs on their I Love Museums Facebook page.
There are 2 giveaway periods:
They are picking 30 winners for each round, so keep your eyes peeled for their post to see how to join. Online giveaway winners will receive their horse-themed angbaos in the mail.
| Region | Participating Museums & Galleries |
| Central (Civic District / Town) | Asian Civilisations Museum, National Museum of Singapore, Peranakan Museum, National Gallery Singapore, Fort Canning Heritage Gallery, The Arts House (STPI), National Library Singapore, Children’s Museum Singapore, The Private Museum |
| Central (Chinatown / Tanjong Pagar) | Chinatown Heritage Centre, Kreta Ayer Heritage Gallery, Red Dot Design Museum, Singapore Musical Box Museum, Gem Museum, Singapore Art Museum at Tanjong Pagar Distripark |
| Central (Orchard / River Valley) | Battlebox, Singapore Botanic Gardens (Heritage Museum, CDL Green Gallery & Botanical Art Gallery) |
| Central (Little India / Kampong Gelam) | Indian Heritage Centre, Malay Heritage Centre, Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, Char Yong (Dabu) Association Heritage Hall |
| East | Changi Chapel and Museum, Eurasian Heritage Gallery, Geylang Serai Heritage Gallery, The Intan, Singapore Air Force Museum |
| West | Science Centre Singapore, Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, NUS Museum, Singapore Maritime Gallery, Reflections at Bukit Chandu, Former Ford Factory, NTU (Chinese Heritage Centre) |
| South (Marina Bay / Sentosa / Harbourfront) | ArtScience Museum, Fort Siloso, Singapore Navy Museum, Sustainable Singapore Gallery @ Marina Barrage |
| North / North-East | HDB LIVINGSPACE Gallery (Toa Payoh), Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital Heritage Gallery, MOE Heritage Centre, SGH Museum, Tan Tock Seng Hospital Heritage Museum, Woodbridge Museum |
There are 49 unique designs in total, each featuring a Year of the Horse mascot tailored to a specific Singapore museum or gallery.
The red packets themselves are free, but some museums may require you to pay for an admission ticket or complete a simple social media task or survey before you can collect them.
No. Each museum only distributes its own specific design. To get the full set, you must visit each participating location individually or win the Facebook giveaway.
The Hongbao Hunt is a digital game available at 6 selected NHB museums where visitors solve riddles to find artefacts. Once the artefact is found and scanned, you can redeem your red packets via a vending machine.
Yes. All red packets are distributed on a “while stocks last” basis. Popular museums often run out within the first week of the campaign, so you might want to head to the quieter ones where you’ve got a higher chance of securing the goods.
If you head to the Civic District, you can easily walk to about 10 of the museums and galleries within the vicinity, making this the most efficient route to collect as many angbaos as you can in a single trip. Of course, these are also the most popular. Make your way down to the ones in the east or north for increased chances of getting the angbaos.
More museums to check out:
Photography by Aditi Kashyap.
Huat ah.
Cheaper than most brick-and-mortar stores in Singapore.
Head to the quieter msueums in the north or east to avoid crowds.
Best for bulk shopping, especially for the festive season.
Use your CNY luck with the new blind boxes.
The freebies aren’t given out in blind box style, so you can pick your fave…