Singapore Botanic Gardens Heritage Festival
Everybody needs a little breather in nature every once in a while, and what better way to soak it all in than the Heritage Festival at Singapore Botanic Gardens? Here’s all you need to know about the upcoming event, happening from 19th to 27th July 2025.
What you need to know about the Singapore Botanic Gardens Heritage Festival
The Singapore Botanic Gardens Heritage Festival is making its debut this year, and there’s plenty to shout about. It celebrates several accomplishments, including but not limited to the 10th anniversary of the gardens’ inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, 30 years of the National Orchid Garden, and 150 years of the Herbarium Library.
All activities at the festival are free*, although some will require you to register beforehand. You can still try your luck if you walk in, but those with RSVPs will be prioritised. Not to worry, we’ll label which ones require any action on your end as we go along.
*The Singapore Garden Festival Orchid Show is free for Singapore residents only.
What to expect at the Botanic Gardens Heritage Festival
Calling this festival “packed” would be an understatement. There’s a total of 24 activities lined up across 5 different categories, each with its own unique features and timelines. To make things easier, we’ve broken everything down in the table below, in case you want to zoom in on any specific activity that piques your interest.
| Categories | Activities | Dates & Time |
| Highlights |
|
|
| Performances |
|
|
| Film Screenings |
|
|
| Onsite Programmes |
|
|
| Guided Tours |
|
|
Highlights
Light installations at 5 iconic spots
Image credit: Singapore Botanic Gardens
Starting things off nice and bright, EnlighTEN @ Singapore Botanic Gardens will light up the park with dreamy installations scattered across iconic spots. Keep an eye out for glowing displays at:
- Tanglin Gate
- Swan Lake
- Bandstand
- Clock Tower @ Orchid Plaza
- Palm Court
Date: 19th July-10th August 2025
Time: 7.30pm-10pm
Venue: Various locations around Gardens
Orchid displays & marketplace
Image credit: @sggardenfest via Instagram
Done in tandem with the Orchid Society of South East Asia, the Singapore Garden Festival Orchid Show blooms with sweeping displays of orchids that’ll have you snapping pics non-stop.
Date: 21st-27th July 2025
Time: 8.30am-7pm
Venue: National Orchid Garden
Image credit: @sggardenfest via Instagram
If you’re feeling inspired to green up your space, the MarketPlace has all you need to get you started on your horticulture era.
Register for the Singapore Garden Festival Orchid Show.
Collect stamps & get a free gift
Turn any visit to the gardens into a core memory by crafting your own keepsake with the Discovery Passport activity. Just approach the visitor services counter to start collecting embossed stamps featuring landmarks like the Bandstand, Learning Forest, and Swan Lake. Collect all 10 of them and score a free heritage pin to show that you’re a true-blue naturist.
Date: Daily
Time: 10am-10pm
Venue: Various locations around Gardens’
F&B promotions
Image adapted from: @beeskneessg via Instagram, iL Giardino
With the wealth of activities available, it’s inevitable that you’ll start feeling peckish. Refuel with a meal at Bee’s Knees at The Garage and get 20% off any of their menu items from the Taste of Singapore’s Heritage lineup. Dig into the Laksa Prawn Pasta for $20.80 (U.P. $26). You’ll also enjoy 20% off à la carte items at iL Giardino at The Garage – don’t miss out on dishes like their classic Porcini & Ricotta Cheese Ravioli (V) for $12.80 (U.P. $16).
Performances
Xinyao concert with nostalgic tunes
Image credit: Flickr
The Singapore Botanic Gardens Heritage Festival is also throwing it back with a Xinyao concert. Sing and hum with a line-up featuring Li Fei Hui, Deng Shu Xian, Allan Moo, Talling Ang and TCR Young.
Date: 19th July 2025
Time: 5.30pm-7pm
Venue: Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage
Sing along to iconic homegrown tunes
Image credit: Vetta Quartet
With National Day fast approaching, you might want to sing along to some iconic National Day songs. Sunset Serenades with Resound Collective Wind Quintet at the Bandstand lets you do just that. True to its name, the ensemble will be taking the stage and serenading the crowd with a blend of wind instruments to classic songs like Home and Bunga Sayang.
Date: 25th July 2025
Time: 6.30pm-7.30pm
Venue: Bandstand
Live music to dance the night away
Image credit: Bloco Singapura via Facebook
For something entirely different, check out the Novo Bloco and Bloco Singapura concert. This one features dynamic beats of Afro-Brazilian music merged with contemporary dancing to get you grooving to the beat like you’re dancing in the moonlight.
Date: 20th July 2025
Time: 5.30pm-7.30pm
Venue: Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage
Wind down with soulful jazz
Image adapted from: Band Fusion, Warner Music Singapore via YouTube
Other notable performances happening are Groove at Gallop! With Jazz Association and VIVA Fiesta: Cosmos ‘25. The former lets you groove to some soulful jazz under the stars with your loved ones for a romantic way to end the night. The latter features performances by Nathan Hartono alongside a symphony crew.
Date: 25th & 26th July 2025 respectively
Time: 8pm-9pm & 6pm-7pm respectively
Venue: Gallop Lawn, Gallop Extension & Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage respectively
Film screenings
Movies for all ages
Image credit: Singapore Botanic Gardens via Facebook
Whether you’re looking to entertain the kiddos or need a low-effort activity to help you unwind, check out these movie screenings at the Eco-Lake Lawn of the Singapore Botanic Gardens Heritage Festival:
- Disney and Pixar’s Elemental (2023): 19th July 2025, 7.30pm-9pm
- Fire of Love: 20th July 2025, 7.30pm-9pm
- The Wild Robot: 21st July 2025, 7.30pm-9pm
- The Eagle Huntress: 27th July 2025, 7.30pm-9pm
Fun fact: the entire experience is designed to be as eco-friendly as possible. That means no external speakers to reduce noise pollution. So, you can connect to the experience by downloading the Cineway (App Store | Google Play) app on your smartphone. After that, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.
Onsite programmes
Go behind the scenes
Image adapted from: SBG Heritage Festival
Ever wondered what it’s like to be a staff member at the Singapore Botanic Gardens? Their In a Day’s Work programmes give you the answer by letting you experience what they do on a daily basis. It covers the jobs of an Orchid Specialist, Plant Cultivator, and an Arborist.
From engaging in orchid tying and planting to witnessing a live demo of a tree inspection, these 3 programmes are a great way for you to truly immerse yourself in the respective crafts.
Date: 20th, 26th & 27th July 2025 respectively
Time: 10am-12pm
Venue: Clock Tower @ Orchid Plaza & Visitor Services Counter @ Bukit Timah Gate respectively
Interactive workshops
Image adapted from: SBG Heritage Festival, Shutterstock
Biology classes just got taken up a notch at the DNA Unlocked classes. It’s basically an interactive workshop that teaches you about key concepts like DNA, plant genomes, and nuclei. Heck, you’ll even get to carry out plant cell staining and observe the samples under a microscope like a real scientist.
Register for the DNA Unlocked: A Plant-Based Discovery for Adults.
Date: 26th July 2025
Time: 10am-12pm
Venue: Ridley Hall @ Botany Centre
Kids won’t have to miss out too, with the Young Explorers version keeping things fun yet interesting. But instead of plant cell extraction, which probably sounds boring to them, they’ll use common items like fruits and table salt to see how genetic elements appear.
Register for the DNA Unlocked: A Plant-Based Discovery for Young Explorers.
Date: 20th & 27th July 2025
Time: 10am-12pm
Venue: Ridley Hall @ Botany Centre
See iconic landmarks in a new light
Image adapted from: Lenny Romauli via Google Maps, Wikipedia
If you enjoyed seeing the Gardens during the day, catch the SBG Night Tour for an even more scenic experience. The guides will take you through 160 years of history, with stops at iconic landmarks like the Bandstand, the famous Tembusu Tree seen on our $5 note, and our national flower, Vanda Miss Joaquim.
Register for the SBG Night Tour.
Date: 19th & 20th July | 25th-27th July
Time: 8pm-9pm
Venue: Visitor Services Counter @ Tanglin Gate
Guided tours
Go on a throwback learning journey
Image adapted from: Zhou Dong & Ye Min Htet via Google Maps
Rewind to your P5 learning journey days with the guided tours happening during the Singapore Botanic Gardens Heritage Festival. Join the experienced guides as they explain more about the garden’s history at the SBG Heritage Museum before making your way to the nearby CDL Green Gallery to catch sight of brand new nature-themed exhibitions.
Register for the SBG Heritage Museum + CDL Green Gallery tour.
Date: 19th & 20th July | 26th-27th July 2025
Time: 10am
Venue: Visitor Services Counter @ Tanglin Gate
Take in scenic views & pick up fun facts along the way
Image credit: NParks
Take in scenic views while learning something new at the Heritage Tour. It covers the more noteworthy parts of the Gardens, like the Bandstand, sculptures, Heritage Trees, Saraca Stream Walk and the Main Gate while learning about the lore behind them. Now, you’ll know what else to caption with your story posts in case someone calls you a heritage-blind tourist.
Register for the Heritage Tour.
Date: 20th July | 26th-27th July 2025
Time: 9am
Venue: Visitor Services Counter @ Tanglin Gate
Take a nature walk
Image adapted from: NParks, Singapore Botanic Gardens via Facebook
Geography class is different when you swap out four walls for an actual forest with the Learning Forest Tour. You’ll get to explore real-life habitats ranging from a freshwater forest to a lowland forest. The tour also takes you through the Keppel Discovery Wetlands, famous as a go-to spot for a guided nature walk.
And just when you think you’ve seen it all, you’ll also get to explore the SPH Walk of Giants, home to some of the tallest trees in Southeast Asia.
Register for the Learning Forest Tour.
Date: 19th & 26th July 2025
Time: 9am
Venue: Visitor Services Counter @ Tyersall Gate
Plants & their benefits
Image credit: NParks
Mother nature has often been described as a way to remedy the mind, but it can also be used for medicinal purposes. The Healing Garden Tour showcases how over 400 varieties of plants have been used as medicine over time in the region. If it sounds like a lot to take in, don’t worry – the garden’s cleverly laid out to cover the head, respiratory, and reproductive systems, so you can explore at your own pace without getting overwhelmed.
Register for the Healing Garden Tour.
Date: 19th & 26th July 2025
Time: 10am
Venue: Visitor Services Counter @ Nassim Gate
Get up close with history
Image credit: Singapore Botanic Gardens via Facebook
Get a “plant museum” experience with the Race Against Time Tour, where you’ll get up close with real, physical plant specimens dating all the way back to 1790. Other than learning about its past, you’ll also see what the future holds for our leafy friends and the world of botany.
Register for the Race Against Time Tour.
Date: 19th & 20th July | 26th-27th July 2025
Time: 10am
Venue: Visitor Services Counter @ Tanglin Gate
More tours not to miss
Image adapted from: NParks
Rounding out the tours are the Gallop Extension Tour and Rain Forest Tour. They might not dive as deep as the others, but you’ll still pick up some cool insights at the end of the day while catching plenty of beautiful scenery – all for free.
Register for the Gallop Extension Tour or Rain Forest Tour.
Date: 20th & 27th July 2025
Time: 9am
Venue: Visitor Services Counter @ Gallop Extension & Visitor Services Counter @ Nassim Gate respectively
How to get to Singapore Botanic Gardens?
There’s actually a free shuttle bus service operating from 9am-10pm on weekends and 5pm-10pm on the 25th of July. Regardless of when you board the bus, the pick-up and drop-off points remain the same – at the waiting area near Botanic Gardens MRT along Bukit Timah Road.
Outside those dates, take the Thomson-East Coast Line to Napier station, then stroll through the grand Tanglin Gate entrance. If you’re near the east or north, hop off at Botanic Gardens Station (CCL/DTL) and enter via the Bukit Timah side instead.
Check out the Singapore Botanic Gardens Heritage Festival for a nature escape
Whether you just want to snap pics of the pretty orchid installations, learn more about the science behind these majestic plants, or are running out of free date ideas, the Singapore Botanic Gardens Heritage Festival’s got you covered. Just remember to register your slot ASAP, as they’re being taken up faster than you can say “shotgun”.
Find out more about Singapore Botanic Gardens Heritage Festival
For other cool things to do in Singapore, check out:
Cover image adapted from: Singapore Botanic Gardens, NParks, Singapore Botanic Gardens via Facebook