In the 17th edition of the Singapore Night Festival (SNF), which starts on Friday, August 21, 2026, dozens of free outdoor installations, facade light projections and live performances are set to grace the heart of the city. The night celebration is a collection of regional creative talent, who will recreate Southeast Asian folklore and history in a series of night-time displays.
The theme of this year’s event is “Myths and Legends”, which involves dozens of light installations, performances and projection-mapping displays on the historic streets, museum facades and alleyways. History comes alive this year with dozens of “glow and go” light installations, performances and projection-mapping displays on historic streets, museum facades, and alleyways, as reported in The Straits Times. The theme was inspired by the history of Fort Canning, which was formerly known as Bukit Larangan, Festival director Qazim Karim said.
“Of all the layers of history there are to be unravelled, I wanted to learn about the stories behind the various myths and legends, ” Karim said. It is a multi-week event that will include cross-border art collaborations, where traditional stories of the Southeast Asian region will be reinterpreted in contemporary urban settings, and most of the activities will be free to the public.
When and Where is the Singapore Night Festival 2026?
The festival will be open daily from August 21 to September 5, 2026, from 7:30 to 11 p.m., and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, according to Time Out.
It is being held on both sides of the Bras Basah. This precinct, consisting of four major areas, is called Bugis Zone: the Museum Zone, Zone 1 (Funan to Chijmes), Zone 2 (Cathay Green to Waterloo Centre) and Zone 3 (Bras Basah Complex and Stamford Arts Centre). The precinct is directly connected to the City Hall, Bras Basah, Bencoolen, Dhoby Ghaut and Bugis MRT stations.
Key Attractions at Singapore Night Festival 2026
The festival has over 97 individual programs spread out in the precincts:
1. Facade Projection Mapping
The highlight of the festival is ‘Tales of Earth and Sea’, which will be projected on the National Museum of Singapore. The Folks was created by the Indonesian multimedia collective The Fox and has a custom soundtrack by the Artusik of Singapore and the Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) of Malaysia.
In fact, it became a “three-country collaboration,” Fadjar Kurnia, the creative director, told The Straits Times, “which I think is a wonderful spirit to bring to the festival. Moreover, The Cathay will host the first-ever MALAM Projection Mapping Competition, featuring the best digital art talents from all over Southeast Asia.
2. Roving Street Theatre
Close-Act Theatre from the Netherlands returns to Singapore in its first Southeast Asian tour of the Giant illuminated puppets of “Birdmen,” which will be stilt-walked through the National Museum of Singapore, Waterloo Street and other campus areas.
3. Immersive Light Installations
On Bugis Street Art Lane, enjoy “Stormy Straits,” featuring bright and colourful scaffolding and clouds, inspired by Bugis seafarers’ voyages in the past. The nearby Funan “Rising of Sister Islands” kinetic wall reacts to visitors’ calls when they say the names of folklore characters.
4. Special Ticketed Events & Cultural Workshops
Experiences available to select include a 70-minute nightly audio walking tour at the Fort Canning site, “The Lost Legacy of Fort Canning”, by Sight Lines Co., and theatrical presentations in Chijmes. The Stamford Arts Centre and Temasek Shophouse offer a series of complementary cultural events such as traditional opera and eco-friendly artisan markets.
