December and January · Thu 05 Nov 2026
Singapore in December 2026 and January 2027: the festive season and the art season, back to back
Singapore runs its two biggest visitor months back to back. December is lights, pantomime and a stadium week from BTS, ending with the Marina Bay countdown. January swaps the tinsel for art: Singapore Art Week, ART SG, Jay Chou at the National Stadium and Les Misérables. Here is both months in one plan, with where to stay for each.
Singapore does not do a quiet festive season. December is the city's loudest month, all lights and stadium shows, and then January arrives with the art world in tow. The two months sit so close together that plenty of visitors plan them as one long season. This is the shape of both, in date order, with the listings that matter and where to sleep for each stretch.
December: the lights go on
Orchard Road Christmas Light-Up, until 3 January. The shopping street's annual switch-on runs the length of the season, with the Great Christmas Village atmosphere that has made Orchard the centre of December. It is free, it is busy, and it pairs naturally with a hotel on or near the street itself. Event page
Search Singapore hotelsvia Trip.com · affiliate link
Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay, 27 November to 3 January. The Supertree Grove becomes the season's fairground: light sculptures, carnival rides, Santa appearances and the nightly Garden Rhapsody shows with snowfall. Next door, the Christmas Train Show fills the Flower Dome until 3 January. Our dedicated guide to Christmas Wonderland and the Bay has the ticketing detail; the short version is to book a timed slot and go after dark.
Monkey Goes West, until 27 December. Wild Rice's pantomime at Funan is the local institution of the season, a Journey to the West retelling played for laughs in three languages at once. If you only see one stage show in December, this is the Singapore one.
BYD Singapore International Marathon, 4 to 6 December. The running season peaks early in the month, finishing at the National Stadium. The same weekend brings the PGL Major Singapore, 10 to 13 December, a Counter-Strike Major at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, and the SSO Christmas Concert, 11 and 12 December, at the Esplanade.
BTS: Arirang, 17 to 22 December. Four stadium nights at the National Stadium anchor the month for music. Our BTS in Singapore guide covers the sold out run and the city around it. Hotels near The Kallang go first for that week; the stay link above is the practical start.
Christmas week itself. Kitaro plays The Star Theatre on Christmas Day, 25 December. Bach Collegium Japan performs Handel's Messiah at the Esplanade on 26 and 27 December. Then the month closes at the water: the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown, 31 December, is free, waterfront-wide and very crowded, with fireworks over the bay at midnight. Our Marina Bay Countdown guide has the viewing spots and the honest crowd advice.
January: the art season
Singapore Motorshow, 7 to 10 January, at Suntec, opens the year, and Jay Chou's Carnival II World Tour, 8 to 10 January, takes the National Stadium for three nights. K-pop fills the Indoor Stadium the same stretch: Doh Kyung Soo on 9 January and ATEEZ on 9 January across the Kallang complex, so pick your arena night carefully.
Westlife: 25 The Anniversary World Tour, 16 and 17 January, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, and Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular, from 20 January at the Sands Theatre, give the month its big stage anchors.
Singapore Art Week, 21 to 31 January. The citywide art season takes over galleries, warehouses and public spaces for eleven days, most of it free. At its centre, ART SG, 22 to 24 January, fills Marina Bay Sands Expo with the region's biggest art fair. Our January art season guide goes deep on both; the planning point is that Art Week rewards a base near the city centre and a loose schedule.
HSBC SVNS Singapore, 30 and 31 January. The rugby sevens closes the month at the National Stadium, fancy dress, fast games and a party stand. It is the easiest sporting weekend of the two months to build a short trip around.
One trip or two?
December suits families and first-timers: the city is dressed up, the shows are big and the weather is wet-season warm, so plan indoor anchors for the afternoons. January suits a slower, gallery-led trip with cheaper midweek rooms once the festive peak passes. If you can only pick one, pick by the anchor: BTS and the countdown in December, Art Week and Jay Chou in January. Either way, set a Singapore Happenings alert for the weekends you are watching, and we will email you when listings change or new shows are added.
More reading on the articles page, or go straight to the events calendar.