In Singapore For Chinese New Year? This Is How to Celebrate
Welcome the year of the snake with a host of festivities across Singapore
Credit: Chingay Parade SG/Facebook
Whether you’ve been to Singapore before or are visiting for the very first time, January is a unique time to explore, thanks to Chinese New Year celebrations taking place at the end of the month. 2025 is the Year of the Wood Snake - it’s exactly halfway through the zodiac calendar and represents wisdom, creativity and good luck.
The new year will officially begin on January 29, and visitors can look forward to an array of parties, parades and fun. Locals traditionally give and receive red envelopes labelled ‘Fú’, meaning good luck, pay respect to ancestors at temples and enjoy traditional dishes, like nian gao (sweet rice cakes) and pineapple tarts.
Credit: Chingay Parade SG/Facebook
Every year at the start of February, Singapore hosts the Chingay Parade, which began as a Chinese New Year celebration but has evolved into an exciting annual festival featuring dazzling displays, performances and more. This year’s Chingay Parade will be particularly special, leading the celebrations for the country’s 60th anniversary and featuring the theme of ‘Joy’ that will focus on different varieties of traditional Singaporean food.
Credit: River Hongbao/Facebook
Also taking place for the Chinese New Year is River Hongbao, Singapore’s largest event to welcome the Year of the Snake. In 2025, the event will be held at Gardens by the Bay and feature more 60th-anniversary additions, including interactive exhibits, street food, fairground rides and firecracker shows.
Tip: If you want to truly celebrate like a local, try yusheng. This dish usually consists of raw fish slices and shredded vegetables. Once the meal has been assembled, diners use chopsticks to ‘toss’ the dish while sharing words of prosperity for the year ahead - it usually gets a little messy, but that’s all part of the fun.
Singapore’s Chinatown will also host its own New Year events, with impressive sculptures and lanterns on display and a countdown party at Banda Street carpark.
For visitors keen to mix sightseeing with ushering in the new year, the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay will be featuring Spring Blossoms, a magnificent flower display inspired by the Legend of the White Snake. There will be a 4.5m tall representation of the protagonist, Madam White Snake and a sea of thousands of colourful blossoms to bring the story to life.
