Jurong Lake Gardens is celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival with Lights by the Lake 2026, featuring large scale lanterns and a whole host of different programmes and activities that will be held across the Garden.
Lights by the Lake 2026 takes place at Jurong Lake Gardens from 19 September to 4 October 2026, with the lanterns lighting up from 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm daily. In our opinion, Lights by the Lake is one of the best places in the heartlands to view large-scale lanterns and light-ups for the Mid-Autumn festivities.
And this year, NParks has partnered with National Heritage Board, Science Centre Singapore, the National Gallery Singapore, and others for programming at the Mid-Autumn Festival event from 19 to 27 September 2026 – making the event even more exciting for visitors.
Highlights of Lights by the Lake, Mid-Autumn Festival 2026 at Jurong Lake Gardens
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Lantern Displays Inspired by The Legend of the White Snake
Jurong Lake Gardens’ Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, Lights by the Lake 2026, features lanterns across all three of its gardens, with the majority of them at Lakeside Garden
For this year, the lantern displays are inspired by the Legend of the White Snake. These lantern sets at the Gardens will bring the beloved Chinese legend to life across Lakeside Garden and beyond.
The Lakeside Field in the northern section of the Gardens, close to the Clusia Cove water play area.
There are various scenes from The Legend of the White Snake told in lanterns at Lakeside Field.
Scene 1 – The Spirit Awakens captures the white snake spirit Bai Suzhen gaining human form and leaving the the mountains to explore the human world.
Scene 2 – Fateful Encounter on the Bridge is where Bai Suzhen meets Xu Xian, a humble scholar, at Broken Bridge in Hangzhou.
Scene 3 – A Mortal Life Together captures the period of their the peak happiness together, underlined by mutual understanding, trust, and loving companionship.
Scene 4 – The Realgar Wine Revelation is where Bai Suzhen is forced to reveal her original snake form.
Scene 5 – The Battle at Jinshan Temple portrays where Bai Suzhen confronts Fa Hai, the head abbot of Jinshan Temple, in a bid to reunite with Xu Xian. However, Bai Suzhen is ultimately defeated, and the couple remains separated.
Scene 6 – The Legend of the White Snake: The Reunion features a reimagined ending where the characters are reunited at the pagoda.
Lanterns at Chinese Garden and Japanese Garden
In addition to the lanterns at Lakeside Garden, there will also be displays at the Chinese Garden and Japanese Garden.
View Moonlit Reunion, a lantern set with Chang’e gazing upon the mortal world from her celestial home, surrounded by blooming lotus flowers that symbolise purity and hope.
Whispers of the Jade Rabbit pays tribute to the Jade Rabbit who faithfully accompanied Chang’e in the palace on the Moon.
Then, head over to the Floral Garden at the Japanese Garden for a display based on the Japanese folktale of Princess Kaguya, depicting her bathed in moonlight and surrounded by blooming flowers, rabbits, and drifting clouds.
At the Resthouse Pond, take in the view of floating lanterns in a graceful, shimmering display that draws on the Japanese and Chinese symbolism of koi as emblems of prosperity and resilience.
Light Display Shows
Lights by the Lake 2026 also features two light shows.
The Cloud Pagoda Light Show: A Love That Endures Time, is based on the story of the White Snake.
Catch the Cloud Pagoda Light Show from 19 to 27 September, 7.30 pm to 10 pm, every 30 minutes (last show at 10 pm).
At the Japanese Garden, the Sunken Garden will be lit up with multi-coloured lights to create an atmospheric setting from 19 to 27 September, 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm.
Lights by the Lake 2026 Programmes
There will be plenty of family-friendly programmes and activities will be spread across Jurong Lake Gardens during Lights by the Lake 2026. These include live performances, movie screenings, arts and heritage experiences, guided tours and other family-friendly activities.
Here are some of the highlights.
Food Market
19 to 27 Sep, 6.30 pm to 11 pm, Lakeside Field
Lakeside Field is where you can find the Food Market that is being held as part of Lights by the Lake. Look out for smoky BBQ, pasta, kebabs, Ramly burgers, taiyaki, sweet potato balls and Thai desserts.
NParks Concert Series in the Park: Rockestra
19 Sep, 6.30 pm till late, Ficus Lawn
Rockestra returns with a night of Mandopop and English hits spanning the decades, held in conjunction with the Mid-Autumn Festival. Admission is free.
Artistes performing include Music & Drama Company (MDC), Shili & Adi, Shirlyn and The UnXpected, and SuperSonic.
MDC will also be hosting a giveaway of 100 complimentary picnic baskets, courtesy of Kakee Konvoy. This giveaway will be hosted on POWER98’s JK and 883JIA’s Ben’s Instagram pages from 20 August to 6 September 2026. Winners will be able to collect these picnic baskets on site.
Mediacorp Lantern Trail and Animation Screening
20 Sep, 6.45 pm, Wave Plaza
Participants can collect a battery-operated lantern, mooncake & a drink, and a mooncake plushie at Wave Plaza before embarking on a symbolic lantern trail through the Gardens to Ficus lawn.
Families can head to the screening area after completing the trail to catch the premiere of Lil Wild, along with a special showcase of short films. Visitors can register for the lantern trail here, limited to 250 slots. Registration opens on 7 September.
NGS Roving Art Studio
19, 20, 26, 27 Sep, 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm, Wave Plaza, Lakeside
Inspired by Georgette Chen’s Still Life (Moon Festival Table), visitors can reflect on the people, traditions and festivities that make celebrations meaningful before creating an artwork of their own.
Edible Garden Tours
19, 20, 26 and 27 Sep, Grand Arch
Families can join a guided tour of the Edible Garden to learn more about the journey of fruits and vegetables from seed to table. There will be 2 sessions each weekend. Register by this link.
Don’t Play Play — The Games That Shape Us by National Heritage Board
19 to 27 Sep, Resthouse, Japanese Garden
This exhibition highlights popular board games many Singaporeans grew up with and traces how these board games came into Singapore. It also spotlights popular homegrown titles that showcase Singaporean culture.
Visitors can also engage in a stamping activity where they collect all the stamps to form an airplane chess gameboard that they can take home to play. The stamping activity will be available between 7 pm to 10 pm throughout the event.
ArtsEverywhere @ CDC
19 and 26 Sep, 6.30 pm to 9 pm, Wave Plaza
Enjoy performances by established arts groups and intimate street performances by local artists at the Wave Plaza.
LED Lion Dance
20 and 27 Sep, 7.45 pm and 8.45 pm, Grand Arch, Chinese Garden
Make your way to the Grand Arch for a special performance by of LED lions set to music.
Movie Screenings: Dementia Singapore Short Films
20 Sep, 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm, Fiscus Lawn
Watch an anthology of five short films presented by Lien Foundation and Dementia Singapore, in honour of World Alzheimer’s Day. The five films span a range of genres — romance, comedy, thriller, and animation. The films celebrate the resilience, humour, and the love of caregivers and persons living with dementia.
Lantern Riddles
21 to 25 Sep, 7 pm to 9 pm, Wave Plaza
Solve traditional riddles in a festive setting and stand to win prizes such as fans, keychains, lamps and other festive goodies.
Moonstruck 2026 — Watermarks of the Moon
25 and 26 Sep, 7.15 pm and 8.30 pm, Guesthouse, Japanese Garden
Watermarks of the Moon transforms the Guesthouse into an immersive realm of reflection and light. Rooted in zen-like aesthetics, the space features a large circular moon and winding lines tracing a riverbed across the floor, creating a serene chamber where time slows down.
This site-specific wellness performance will be performed by an intergenerational cast of ARTS FISSION professional dancers, senior performers from Tzu Chi Seniors Engagement & Enabling Node (Nanyang), and NAFA dance students.
Celestial Nights: Mid-Autumn Edition by Science Centre Singapore
Embark on a self-guided educational walk, starting from either Science Centre Singapore or the Water Lily Pavilion at Japanese Garden from 19 to 27 September.
The trail follows a series of illuminated discovery points exploring how moons form, why they come in such shapes and sizes and more.
Hands-on activities are also available along the trail, and participants who complete the trail stand to receive a discount on a limited-edition Quby pin, while stocks last.
In addition, for one night only, a silent disco will be available on 26 September, where visitors can wear wireless headphones and dance to specially curated music genres, transforming the science galleries into a dance party, along with a Silent Disco Moonwalk following a fixed route (limited slots available).
The walk from Science Centre to Japanese Garden begins at 7 pm, followed by the indoor disco from 8 pm to 11 pm. Tickets will go on sale on 26 August. Tickets can be purchased here.
A special Mid-Autumn edition of the live dome planetarium show is available on 25 and 26 September at Science Centre Singapore’s Omni-Theatre.
Music Oasis by Singapore Chinese Orchestra
26 Sep, 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm, Fiscus Lawn
The programme at this concert at Lights by the Lake will include popular songs such as Restart, Brewing Tea Under the Moon, Grandma’s Words, alongside a selection of Chinese orchestral classics and festive repertoire. Audiences can also expect the world premiere of a new work by Singaporean composer Germaine Goh, inspired by the Chinese Garden.
Film Screenings: Migration and The Wild Robot
26 and 27 Sep, Fiscus Lawn
View two family-friendly films at Ficus Lawn on 26 September, 8 pm, and 27 September 7 pm.
Hands-on Workshops
26 to 27 Sep, Level 2, PAssion Wave
Participate in workshops that introduce basic Chinese Calligraphy brush strokes and techniques, take part in a 30-minute guided session introducing participants to Zentangle, a drawing method using simple, structured patterns, or craft a clay lantern keychain.
Pre-registration is recommended. Get more details here.
More Mid-Autumn Festival Fun
If you enjoyed this story, we think that you will also enjoy this other one about Mid-Autumn Festival events around Singapore.
Read Next: Chinese Garden
If you want to make sure that you get the most out of your visit to Jurong Lake Gardens, read our Jurong Lake Gardens guide to for ideas on how to make a day or half-day out it. You can also read about the Chinese Garden and Japanese Garden.
