Kickstart your exciting new year with the landmark 10th edition of Light to Night Singapore 2026, transforming the Civic District into a dynamic, living canvas where creativity and artistic expressions ignite! This milestone edition marks the festival’s longest run yet from 9 to 31 January 2026, with vibrant experiences across four weekends for the first time.
Anchored in the theme “The Power in Us“, the festival celebrates the strength of community, the richness of diverse perspectives, and the power of connections as people come together to experience and co-create art.
This edition of the festival features an illuminating line-up of interactive art installations under a brand-new series titled SANTAI, inspired by the Malay word ‘to relax’.
- This series invites audiences to gather as they encounter the compelling artworks located across five key gathering points around the historic Civic District – the Padang, Empress Lawn, Front Lawn at The Arts House, ACM Green and Esplanade Park.
- One of the SANTAI highlights is the weekend artwork activation Gathering on the Lawn by Taiwanese artist Michael Lin, where participants light their path with the artist-designed paper lantern bags adorned with batik-inspired motifs, as they move, create, and gather on the Padang grounds.
Festivalgoers can also immerse in the crowd-favourite projection mappings on the Civic District’s iconic buildings and enjoy a large array of delectable food choices and roving performances alongside friends and family at the Art x Social: Festival Village, now expanded to both St. Andrew’s Road and Empress Lawn.
There are also many exciting free and ticketed programmes, including community choir Sing Song Social Club, playful art tours by social media icon Zaki Hussain, and Life Prep (Art x Bakes) where movement, food, and art come together in a multi-sensory experience.
For a first look at the key festival highlights, please see below. Keep updated on the festival happenings by visiting here and follow National Gallery Singapore on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Connect with the Festival’s socials on its dedicated Facebook and Instagram pages.
📅 9 to 31 Jan 2026
Light to Night Singapore 2026 is organised by National Gallery Singapore, in collaboration with Asian Civilisations Museum, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, The Arts House, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, and CapitaLand.
First Look at Highlights of Light to Night Singapore 2026
Artworks and Installations
Art Skins on Monuments
Entanglements and intersections take over the façade of the National Gallery Singapore in projection mappings by two multidisciplinary artists.
Fyerool Darma (Singapore) presents Ⱥn§ibℓøm∞ (Ansiblomoo), a digital meditation that explores the interplay between natural signals, technology, and emergent patterns.
In Memory Gesture, Vietnamese artist Ngoc Nau delves into the intersection of labour, belief, and technology in contemporary society, taking inspiration from her hometown’s shift from agriculture to tech production.
SANTAI commissioned artworks
The brand-new SANTAI series – inspired by the Malay word ‘to relax’ – features art installations across five key gathering points in the historic Civic District, inviting audiences to gather and enjoy art as a communal moment of pause and connection.
The Padang, a site seeped in layered history, will bear witness to the coming together of individuals and communities through two artworks under this series.
Rumah Laut
Singaporean artist Firdaus Sani, a fourth generation Orang Laut and Pulau descendant, presents Rumah Laut, a three-part installation that invites audiences to navigate the work to and from the Art Connector, Padang and ACM Green, inspired by journeys undertaken by the island’s earliest seafaring communities. The work reimagines the legacy, displacement, and resilience of Singapore’s coastal and island communities – the Orang Laut, Orang Kallang, Orang Seletar, Orang Selat, and Orang Pulau. At the Padang, experience the artist’s reimagination of the rumah laut (coastal home) made of materials such as nibong (palm) leaves and bakau (mangrove) wood.
Gathering on the Lawn
On weekends, the Padang shifts with a new form of agency – participatory experiences are activated through a site-specific work by Taiwanese artist Michael Lin. Gathering on the Lawn features artist-designed paper lantern bags adorned with batik-inspired motifs, which will be utilised by visitors as they are invited to move, create, and gather on the grounds.
Untitled Gathering
Michael Lin is also known for his large-scale installations and iconic floral motifs that transform public spaces. Over at the Gallery’s Singapore Courtyard, Lin presents a participatory act indoors which also anchors strongly on the concept of active audience participation. Untitled Gathering features hand-painted wooden furniture pieces created with students from University of the Arts Singapore (UAS), forming a patchwork that echoes the city’s textures and rhythms. Visitors are invited to sit, move, and rearrange the furniture, changing both the composition of the work and the relationships formed within it.
SINGAPORAMA was born out of Thai artist Navin Rawanchaikul’s year-long research and engagement with the communities that make up Singapore, including migrant workers, artists, and cultural producers, indigenous groups, Peranakans, social advocacy groups, and faith organisations. This monumental commission at the Padang Atrium consists of two large billboard paintings in the style of old cinema posters – representative of the artist’s signature style – accompanied by video interviews and a travelogue produced from the artist’s many trips to Singapore.
This year’s Art X Social: Festival Village will be expanded to both St. Andrew’s Road and Empress Lawn at the Asian Civilisations Museum, with delectable food and drink offerings, DJ sets, and roving performances during the weekends.
Programmes
Look forward to a line-up of free and ticketed programmes to fill four power-packed festival weekends. Some highlights include:
Sing Song Social Club
📅 10 Jan 2026
🕙 4pm – 6pm
🏷 Free
Join in Sing Song Social Club, the local community choir that has taken over Singaporeans’ social media and hearts. The open community choir session celebrates the collective power of voices joining as one in the Padang Atrium.
My Tour, My Rules with Zaki Hussain
📅 10, 17 & 24 Jan 2026
🕙 4.30pm – 5.30pm
🏷 $15 per pax
A social media icon with a cult following, Zaki Hussain guides a tour that strays from the “let’s quietly admire art and move on” kind of experience, putting his mischievous spin on the masterpieces that dared to bend (or break) the rules of their time.
Life Prep
📅 10 & 17 Jan 2026
🕙 3pm – 4pm
🏷 $30 per pax
In Life Prep, movement, food, and art come together in a multi-sensory experience, culminating in a savoury and sweet treat from Gallery’s Bakery Brera. Participants will revisit some of the region’s most iconic flavours, inspired by artworks from the Gallery’s Southeast Asian collection. While the spices and ingredients used reflect a palette that captures the essence of our shared culinary heritage, the stories behind them are just as important.
Gallery Gigs
📅 Festival weekends
🏷 Free
Festivalgoers can also look forward to a diverse and vibrant range of free performances as part of Gallery Gigs, with well-loved homegrown artists who will take the stage.
🧧🏮 CHINESE NEW YEAR 2026 🏮🧧
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 2026, especially for our readers. Remember to check out these Chinese New Year Lion Dance performances too.
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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