The annual Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival is back, taking place in the heart of Chinatown from 30 August to 2 October 2023 with the theme Celebrating Mid-Autumn Across Generations.
Illuminating the streets, the highly anticipated Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival street light-up will dazzle alongside a string of exciting activities, including the latest addition of Lantern Riddles in an interactive and engaging digital format.
The vibrant Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival 2024 celebrations aim to foster unity amongst Singaporean families and international visitors, while celebrating Singapore’s rich multiculturalism and Chinese traditions. It aims to remind visitors of the timeless joy and unity that the festival brings, uniting the past, present, and future.
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Nestled in the heart of Chinatown is its centrepiece – a magnificent eight-metre high lantern that captures the essence of familial bonds and festive tradition, serving as a poignant reminder to encourage everyone to spend time with family.
The towering centrepiece depicts three generations of a family gathering under the moonlight and lanterns to share the joy of Mid-Autumn Festival over the years. The design of this year’s lanterns almost have a cute “Animal Crossing” character feel to them.
These stories come to life through the three segments, each depicting a distinct era of celebration.
The journey depicted through the Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival Street Light Up lanterns begins with the nostalgic charm of the grandparents’ era.
People can be seen preparing to host the family with home-made mooncakes, lighting paper lanterns, and sharing stories under the full moon, reflecting the close-knit familial ties of yesteryear.
Next is the parents’ era. This captures the strong community spirit with community activities like mooncake-sharing and lantern processions against the sentimental backdrop of old HDB flats.
The journey ends in the present day with a vibrant scene against Singapore’s modern skyline, where families from all three generations come together to celebrate.
This design honours the rich cultural heritage of the Mid-Autumn Festival and bridges the past, present, and future, reflecting the festival’s enduring significance in fostering family bonds and communal joy.
This year, the Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival 2024 light up extends along New Bridge Road, Eu Tong Sen Street, South Bridge Road and Upper Cross Street.
Lantern Walk
This year’s Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival include the Chinatown Lantern Walk that will commence from Chinatown Point and extend to Kreta Ayer Square.
The Chinatown Lantern Walk allows participants to immerse in the Mid-Autumn spirit as they stroll the streets illuminated by the dazzling light-up displays.
Participants will also be entitled to a goodie bag which contains a cellophane lantern and traditional Mid-Autumn snacks.
Lantern Riddles
On 14 September 2024, 7 pm to 9 pm, pay a visit to Kreta Ayer Square to enjoy lantern riddles. This year, the lantern riddles are being presented in an interactive and digital format, where visitors are encouraged to guess riddles on digital lanterns on display at Kreta Ayer Square.
Other Mid-Autumn Festival Activities in Chinatown
This year, the the open space in front of People’s Park Complex will play host to the the Festive Fair.
There will also be weekend stage shows at Kreta Ayer Square on 7, 8, 15 September 2024, 7 pm to 9 pm. This programme will feature a repertoire of performances for all ages.
Mrs Josephine Teo, Adviser to Jalan Besar GRC GROs (Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng) said, “This year, as we light up the streets of Chinatown, we also celebrate the unique way of celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival across generations. This festival is not just a celebration within the Chinese community, but also a celebration of our rich multiculturalism embraced by all races in Singapore.”
Ms Lim Shoo Ling, STB’s Director of Arts and Cultural Precincts said, “This year’s Mid-Autumn Festival in Singapore’s Chinatown celebrates multi-generational ties and festive traditions that will resonate with both locals and international visitors through its emphasis on the significance of family. The event offers an immersive experience of Singapore’s rich traditions and customs for visitors and locals to enjoy. The festivities add vibrancy to our cultural precincts and enhance Singapore’s appeal as a destination.”
Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival 2024
The Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival 2024 runs from 30 August to 2 October.
For the full festival programme, visit the Chinatown Festivals website.
If you enjoyed this story, you may also enjoy reading about other Mid-Autumn festivities such as Lights by the Lake at Jurong Lake Gardens.
