2023 年牛车水农历新年庆祝活动 (3 January to 19 February 2023)

Annual Street Light-Up brings festive cheer to usher in the Year of the Rabbit

The Chinatown Chinese New Year Celebration 2023 returns to liven up the streets of Chinatown with physical festivities for the first time in two years, including the all-time favourite Festive Fair and Street Light-Up

📅 3 January to 19 February 2023
📍 Chinatown

➡️ Related Read: 2023 Year of Rabbit Zodiac Forecast

After two years of virtual celebrations, the Chinatown Chinese New Year Celebration 2023 returns to the streets to usher in the Year of the Rabbit with a wide range of exciting festivities from 1 January to 19 February 2023. Organised by the Chinatown Festival Committee and supported by the Singapore Tourism Board, the long-awaited Festive Fair will return, along with the annual street light-up, weekly stage shows and the Chinese New Year Countdown Party.

The celebration will bring together Singaporeans and foreign visitors alike for this key event in the Chinese cultural calendar. Held in Chinatown, a culturally and historically significant precinct, the celebration aims to promote a deeper appreciation of Chinese culture and traditions, among locals from all walks of life.

Chinatown Chinese New Year Street Light-Up

Ringing in the Chinatown Chinese New Year Celebration 2023 is the Official Light-up and Opening Ceremony on 3 January 2023. Themed ‘Leaping into the Prosperous Year of the Rabbit (新春福兔迎新岁, 富贵盈门庆丰年)’, visitors to Chinatown can expect charming dioramas featuring lively and colourful rabbits along New Bridge Road, South Bridge Road, Eu Tong Sen Street, and for the first time, Upper Cross Street as well.

A towering 10m centrepiece of a multi-generational rabbit family reuniting for the Chinese New Year will sit at the junction of Upper Cross Street and New Bridge Road. Designed in collaboration with students from the Singapore University of Technology and Design, the eye-catching street decorations are a result of months of hard work by a team of students led by Corliss Tay and Phua Rui Yi Sarah, assisted by student coordinator Kong Mei Jia under the guidance of Dr Zheng Kai, Faculty Fellow, Architecture and Sustainable Design.

Chinatown Chinese New Year Countdown Party

Ramping up the festive cheer and marking the start of the Chinese New Year is the Countdown Party taking place at Kreta Ayer Square on Chinese New Year Eve, 21 January 2023. Broadcasted live on Channel 8 from 10.30pm, the party features a stellar line-up of performances from Mediacorp artistes.

“We are excited to be welcoming the most important festive holiday on the Lunar Calendar back to the streets of the historically significant precinct of Chinatown. The Chinese New Year Celebration unites Singaporeans and international visitors across cultures and generations through a thrilling line-up of festivities, and sets the stage for an auspicious, prosperous year ahead,” said Minister for Communications and Information and Second Minister for Home Affairs, Adviser to Jalan Besar GRC Grassroots Organisations (Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng), Mrs Josephine Teo.

Chinatown Chinese New Year Celebration 2023 Festivities

Apart from the street light-up and countdown party, visitors will be greeted by a dynamic line-up of family-friendly festivities throughout the Chinatown Chinese New Year Celebration 2023.

These include the return of the Festive Fair with 280 stalls selling festive goods spanning Smith Street, Pagoda Street, Trengganu Street and Temple Street, and the weekly Stage Shows held over two weekends at Kreta Ayer Square.

Ms Lim Shoo Ling, Director, Arts and Cultural Precincts, Singapore Tourism Board, said, “We look forward to welcoming both locals and visitors to the Chinatown Chinese New Year celebrations, and to experience the offerings within the vibrant Chinatown precinct. Beyond the exciting line-up of activities, we also hope the celebrations provide a deeper insight into Singapore’s rich Lunar New Year traditions, and inspire visitors to discover more about Singapore’s unique multi-cultural heritage.”

The Chinatown Festival Committee has also partnered up with local gamification startup Sqkii to run the game ‘兔来运转 (The Lucky Rabbit)’ that encourages visitors, especially digital natives from younger generations, to visit the Chinatown precinct and complete tasks with exciting prizes to be won. The game is available from now till 5 February 2023. For more information, please visit shinmincny.sqkii.com.

Adopt a Lantern Initiative

As part of the Chinatown Festival Committee’s contributions to make Singapore a more sustainable urban destination, members of the public will be given the opportunity to repurpose street lanterns from the light-up as part of the ‘Adopt a Lantern’ initiative.

Reminder to Visitors

In anticipation of a larger crowd than the past two years, the organising committee would like to remind all visitors to visit Chinatown earlier in the day, outside of weekends, to avoid crowding.

Auxiliary police officers and security officers will be deployed to manage crowds in the vicinity. In the event of overcrowding, access into Pagoda Street, Trengganu Street and/or Temple Street will be restricted, to ensure public safety. All visitors are reminded to safeguard their belongings and be vigilant against molesters, pickpockets, and thieves while they soak in the celebrative atmosphere.

Visitors should also bag their litter and throw it into the nearby litter bins for a ‘litter-free’ Singapore.

Chinatown Chinese New Year Celebrations 2023 Official Light Up and Opening Ceremony 牛车水新春亮灯仪式与开幕典礼

📅 3 January 2023
⏱ 7pm
📍 Kreta Ayer Square 牛车水广场

Street Light Up 新春亮灯

📅 3 January to 19 February 2023
⏱ 7pm – 12am
📍 New Bridge Road, Eu Tong Sen Street, South Bridge Road & Upper Cross Street 新桥路，余东旋街，桥南路，克罗士街上段

Countdown Party 新春倒数派对

📅 21 January 2023
⏱ 10.30pm
📍 Kreta Ayer Square 牛车水广场

Festive Fair and Food Fair 新春市集和美食街

📅 1 January to 21 January 2023
⏱ 7pm – 10pm
📍 Sago Street, Smith Street, Temple Street, Pagoda Street & Trengganu Street 碩莪街,史密斯街，登婆街，宝塔街，丁加奴街

Trade Fair @People’s Park 市集

📅 23 December 2022 to 21 January 2023
⏱ 10am – 10pm
📍 Open Space in front of People’s Park Complex 珍珠坊前的广场

Stage Show 舞台表演

📅 7, 8, 14 & 15 January 2023
⏱ 7pm – 9pm
📍 Kreta Ayer Square 牛车水广场

The Chinatown Chinese New Year Celebration 2023 runs from 1 January to 19 February 2023. To view the full programme, visit here.

Adopt a Lantern from the Chinatown Chinese New Year Celebrations 2023

The wait is over – this February, the Chinatown Festival Committee returns with its Adopt-a-Lantern initiative. As part of its contributions to make Singapore a more sustainable urban destination, the initiative aims to give new homes to the lanterns from this year’s festive street light-up themed “Leaping into the Prosperous Year of the Rabbit”.

Members of the public will have the opportunity to bring home these iconic lanterns, which include adorable rabbits, larger-than-life gold ingots, and more. From 6 to 12 February 2023, interested parties can submit their applications and specify their preferred choices of lanterns via the following link (The link will only be live from 6 – 12 Feb 2023). Successful applicants will then be notified and informed of the self-collection details on 20 February 2023.

For more information and the full list of terms and conditions, please head here.

CHINESE NEW YEAR 2023

Feeling adventurous and hoping to soak in the Chinese New Year atmosphere? We have compiled a list of Where to go during Chinese New Year 2023, especially for our readers.

Looking for CNY goodies for your home? Here’s where to buy pineapple tarts and bak kwa in Singapore.

Want to shower your family and friends with blessings and bountiful gifts this CNY? Here is a list of unique CNY gifts and hampers to consider gifting!

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