Free New Year’s Eve activities in Singapore for 2019/2020
New Year’s Eve is coming, and attending countdown parties with our friends has probably come to mind. But for those of us who are too broke to pay for hefty admission tickets, there are plenty of free events you can attend with your crew to round off 2019 on a great note.
Whether you’re ready to bust out your dance moves into 2020, be amazed by rainbow-hued outdoor art, or celebrate with your beloved furkids, these New Year’s Eve activities will make your trip out of the house worthwhile because they come at the grand cost of $0.
Table of Contents
- Free New Year’s Eve activities in Singapore for 2019/2020
- 1. Catch fireworks at multiple spots in Marina Bay
- 2. Watch Sentosa’s fireworks from Mount Faber Peak and Sentosa Boardwalk
- 3. Explore Teamlab’s interactive #futuretogether exhibition at GBTB
- 4. Watch animations cover building facades in the Build a Dream Light Projection Show
- 5. Ring in the new year with your furkid at Pets’ Pawty
- 6. Chill out with DIY cocktails and snacks at Eats & Beats on Empress Lawn
- 7. Jam out with local music talents at Let’s Celebrate 2020 by Mediacorp
- 8. Enjoy a mix of instrumental and vocal performances at Esplanade
- 9. Groove to EDM, hip-hop, and R&B at Downtown East Celebrates Countdown 2020
- Celebrate the 2020 New Year in Singapore
– Fireworks –
1. Catch fireworks at multiple spots in Marina Bay
View from Merlion Park
Image credit: @marinabaysg
Even if you don’t want to splurge on tickets for this year’s countdown concert – Star Island Singapore Countdown Edition 2019-2020, you can still score the amazing view of this year’s firework show at multiple public places in the Marina Bay area come midnight.
- ArtScience Museum
- Fullerton Bay Hotel
- Merlion Park
- Helix Bridge
- Benjamin Sheares Bridge
View from the Benjamin Sheares Bridge
Image credit: @bearface360
Camp out from 8pm onwards or earlier to secure a good spot before the area gets more crowded from 9pm.
Date: 31st December 2019
Time: Midnight
Venue: ArtScience Museum, Fullerton Bay Hotel, Merlion Park, Helix Bridge, and Benjamin Sheares Bridge
Website
2. Watch Sentosa’s fireworks from Mount Faber Peak and Sentosa Boardwalk
Siloso Beach fireworks
Image credit: @sentosa_island
Those who would rather avoid the city crowds can still view fireworks from breezy Mount Faber Park. There, you’ll be able to see the fireworks coming from Sentosa’s Siloso Beach without having to pay for beach party tickets.
Siloso Beach fireworks
Image credit: @insta_sohailaaleem
You can also see these midnight beach fireworks from the lighted Sentosa Boardwalk, the bridge connecting Sentosa to VivoCity with free admission till end-2020.
Date: 31st December 2019
Time: Midnight
Venue: Mount Faber Park and Sentosa Boardwalk
– Fireworks –
3. Explore Teamlab’s interactive #futuretogether exhibition at GBTB
Image credit: Teamlab
Your inner child will enjoy #futuretogether, a free outdoor light art exhibition by Japanese art collective Teamlab, whose artworks normally require an admission fee to view in museums.
Start at Dragonfly Lake, a public free-to-enter area of Gardens By The Bay. You’ll see colour-changing eggs that look as if a rainbow chicken had laid them. Touch any egg and it will change colour while producing a resonating sound, spreading across the surrounding eggs and nearby trees.
Image credit: Teamlab
Wander around this huge artwork of mesmerising floating flowers at Bayfront Plaza. Titled “Flowers and People – Giant Lattice Mass”, its flowers will scatter when you approach them, and bloom faster when you stand still.
#futuretogether outdoor exhibits
Date: 15th December 2019 – 15th March 2020
Time: 7pm-12am
Venue: Dragonfly Lake and Bayfront Plaza, Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Drive, Singapore 018953
Website
4. Watch animations cover building facades in the Build a Dream Light Projection Show
Image credit: Marina Bay Singapore, Colossal, & Urban Redevelopment Authority
While waiting for fireworks to begin downtown, catch the musical animations projected on the facades of the ArtScience Museum, Fullerton Bay Hotel, and the Merlion at the Build a Dream Light Projection Show.
They include colourful images of Singapore icons such as orchids, tropical animals and plants, and whimsical patterns. All were created by children and elderly beneficiaries of charities such as the Dyslexia Association of Singapore and SHINE Children and Youth Service.
Image credit: Marina Bay Singapore, Colossal, & Urban Redevelopment Authority
The best places to see the light show are the Helix Bridge and Merlion Park.
Build a Dream Light Projection Show
Date: 26th – 31st December 2019
Time: Various timings; TBC
Venue: ArtScience Museum, Fullerton Bay Hotel, Merlion Park
Website
5. Ring in the new year with your furkid at Pets’ Pawty
Image credit: @barkatree
Let your pets welcome the new year with new furry friends at the Pets Paw-ty at Connaught Drive. From 4PM till late, the entire stretch of road will be car-free for their safety.
Shop for pet merchandise and food at the pet shop booths, bring a mat to picnic with your animal friends on the field, and let your pets make friends with other excited party animals.
Register your doggo for free to try the agility challenge, obstacle race, frisbee competition, or even the dog beer drinking contest. Your dog won’t get drunk because dog beer is non-alcoholic and carefully formulated to be safe for dogs, but he or she will definitely stay well-hydrated.
Pets Paw-ty
Date: 31st December 2019
Time: 4pm-1am
Venue: Connaught Drive
Website
6. Chill out with DIY cocktails and snacks at Eats & Beats on Empress Lawn
Image credit: Tourism Information Hub
For those who just want to relax on the last day of the year, head over to Eats & Beats at Empress Lawn outside the Asian Civilisations Museum. You can simply lounge on the open-air seats, tuck into snacks from the food stalls, or create your own alcoholic drink at the MIX bar.
A Peranakan outfit
Image credit: @catherineloiwailin
Pop into the museum for free extended NYE opening hours till 10pm. History buffs can marvel at imperial Chinese robes and Malay sarong kebayas that seem to come straight out of a period drama.
Eats & Beats @ Empress Lawn
Date: 31st December 2019
Time: 4pm-1am
Venue: Empress Lawn, Fullerton Road, Singapore
Website
– Fireworks –
7. Jam out with local music talents at Let’s Celebrate 2020 by Mediacorp
Image credit: Hi1307 Productions
Treat your ears to the vocals of electropop star Jasmine Sokko, Benjamin Kheng, Aisyah Aziz, soulful rocker Ramli Sarip, and more local talents at the Let’s Celebrate 2020 concert at the Promontory @ Marina Bay. EDM beats will kick off the concert from 7PM before the leading acts join in at 10PM, building up to colourful fireworks at the grand finale.
If you’re feeling peckish in between partying, you can buy food and drinks from mobile stalls on site.
This annual Mediacorp concert will also be telecast from 11PM onwards, so folks can also watch it from the comfort of home.
Let’s Celebrate 2020
Date: 31st December 2019
Time: 7.30pm-1am
Venue: Promontory @ Marina Bay
Website
8. Enjoy a mix of instrumental and vocal performances at Esplanade
Image credit: MOTUS.SG
If you like a mix of live instrumental music and vocal performances, head over to Esplanade Outdoor Theatre for the New Year’s Eve countdown concert.
This free concert is over 5 hours long with 6 short intermissions, so it’s like catching many concerts in one. Live performances by hybrid samba-inspired dancing band MOTUS, singer-songwriter and guitarist Hillary Francis, and soul and R&B band Joe and The Soul Express will make for a great atmosphere till the midnight fireworks go off.
New Year’s Eve countdown concert
Date: 31st December 2019
Time: 7pm-12.40am
Venue: Esplanade Outdoor Theatre
Website
9. Groove to EDM, hip-hop, and R&B at Downtown East Celebrates Countdown 2020
Image credit: @musicbybrooks
Easties won’t need to go to town to party into the new year. Head straight to Downtown East Celebrates Countdown 2020 starting at 9PM, and show off your best moves in D’Marquee with DJ Brooks’ future and progressive house music.
To help you get into the party spirit, local DJs Farah Farz, Lincey, and Perk Pietrek will also be spinning EDM, hip-hop, and R&B beats before the grand countdown.
If you’re planning to arrive early, try your hand at Downtown East’s arcade game area which opens at noon, or catch the outdoor variety performances and free balloon and ice-cream giveaways from 6pm onwards, right outside D’Marquee.
Downtown East Celebrates Countdown 2020!
Date: 31st December 2019
Time: Noon-late
Venue: D’Marquee @ Downtown East, 1 Pasir Ris Close, Downtown East, Singapore 519599
Website
Celebrate the 2020 New Year in Singapore
You won’t need a pricey hotel or expensive party to have a good time this NYE. There’re plenty of absolutely free things to do on the last day of 2019, which makes it easy to convince friends and family to celebrate along with you.
For other free things to do in Singapore, also check out:
Cover image adapted from Teamlab and @insta_sohailaaleem
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