Located between Toa Payoh HDB Hub and the Pan Island Expressway, Toa Payoh Town Park is a throwback to the 1970s and 1980s. It was originally completed back in the 1972 when it opened as the Toa Payoh Town Garden. Today, it still serves to provide a dose of nostalgia and a green space at the edge of Toa Payoh estate.
[Editor’s Note – Jan 2024: Toa Payoh Town Park will be closing on 1 February 2024 for redevelopment. The works are only expected to be completed in 2030.]
Toa Payoh Town Park: A Charm of Its Own
Walking into the Toa Payoh Town Park, you will discover a charm unlike those found in most modern parks.
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One of its most striking features are its ponds. Characterful bridges, with a hexagonal motif criss-cross the waters of the Toa Payoh Town Park ponds.
You can walk across them, hoping from islet to islet and imagine you are a world away from the nearby housing estate.
The landscape of mature trees also play a role in helping to transport you to another place and time. This landscape was one of the reasons why the park was a popular location for couples to take wedding pictures in the 1970s and 1980s.
The ponds also help to support Toa Payoh Town Park’s biodiversity which includes dragonflies and damselflies. In 2014, there are 20 species of these insects found in the park.
The park is also home to trumpet trees, the local equivalent of Japan’s famous cherry blossoms.
When in season, around September or so, the pink flowers of the trumpet trees at Toa Payoh Town Park fall, leaving a carpet of flowers on the ground.
Landmark Tower
Another famous landmark at Toa Payoh Town Park is the observation tower. This was from a time when observation towers were a feature in parks, such as Marsiling Park’s tower.
The tower is also one of the highlights of the Toa Payoh Heritage Trail.
Standing 27-metres tall, the Toa Payoh Town Park Observation Tower used to be scalable. At the top were panoramic views of the surrounding area. At the foot of the tower is a fountain pool.
Today, access to the tower is restricted. The landmark was also accorded conversation status in 2009 by the Urban Redevelopment Authority.
Nowadays, Toa Payoh Town Park is a less well visited park on weekdays; if you pay a visit on a weekday, you may find that you have the park largely to yourself. On the weekends, it does get quite crowded as it is a popular picnic and gathering spot.
Still a visit to Toa Payoh Town Park does provide a dose of nostalgia for those who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, or for those seeking to explore some place different from other popular parks.
Within the park you used to be able to find the Oasis Taiwanese Porridge restaurant and its old school charm at the eastern end of the park.
The restaurant has moved to a new location.
If you use the overhead bridge next to the park to cross over to the HomeTeamNS Balestier JOM, you can also find one of our picks for mookata in Singapore.
The park is located just beside the former Toa Payoh Swimming Complex.
[Editor’s Note – Jan 2024: Toa Payoh Town Park will be closing on 1 February 2024 for redevelopment. The works are only expected to be completed in 2030.]
Toa Payoh Town Park
Where: Along Lorong 6 Toa Payoh
