Celebrate National Day At The National Museum 2024

Celebrate our nation’s 58th birthday with family and friends and participate in the myriad of activities featuring Singapore’s icons, local talents and special exhibitions at the museum.

National Museum Singapore National Day Light-up NMS National Day Light-up (Image courtesy of NMS)

Look out for an exciting performance, drop-in activities, storytelling sessions and scavenger hunt. End the day with a “picnic-under-the-stars” and catch the live outdoor screening of the National Day Parade at the museum’s front lawn.

In the lead-up to National Day, look out for our special façade light-up. Don’t forget to tag us on social media when taking photos with #NationalDayatNMS.

Please note that photos and videos taken during the programmes may be used for future publicity.

Below are some of the highlights:

National Day Light-Up

📅 21 Jul to 9 Aug 2023
⏰ 7.30pm – 12am daily | Free

National Museum National Day facade projection Lee Kuan Yew

Catch the museum come alive with a façade projection that will bath the building in colours and symbols that represent Singapore. Don’t miss a special feature created in commemoration of Mr Lee Kuan Yew‘s 100th birth anniversary, honouring Singapore’s founding prime minister and his enduring contribution to Singapore.

Share with us photographs of your experience at the museum’s light-up and tag us or include #NationalDayatNMS

National Day Photobooth

⏰ 10am – 7pm | Free
📍 Longer Concourse, Level 1

Document your memory of your National Day celebration at the museum. Gather with your friends and family members for a photo opportunity at our booth with a coffee cart and props inspired by Singapore’s icons.

Don’t forget to share your digital photograph with us on social media with the hashtag #NationalDayatNMS.

Coffee cart used in this photobooth is supported by Yakun Kaya Toast.

The Good Old Games

⏰ 9.30am – 11.30am
📍 Front Lawn, Level 1 | Free

Get ready for some fun with a selection of old-school and traditional games enjoyed across generations while growing up.

National Day Colouring Competition

⏰ 10am – 1pm (Registration starts at 9.30am, followed by a pre-competition briefing at 10am. The competition will take place from 10.15am to 11.30am, with the prize presentation ceremony from 12.15pm to 12.30pm.)
📍 The Salon, Level 1 | Free with refundable deposit of $10 per participating child
🏷 Pre-registration is encouraged: Click here

Unleash your creativity in this colouring competition featuring our local neighbourhood!

This competition is open to 50 children, aged 6 to 13 years. Participants may bring your own colouring materials (dry materials only, no paint allowed) or purchase a colouring pack at $5, while stocks last.

The programme and prizes are supported by STAEDTLER. Onsite registration is available, however pre-event registration is encouraged to secure your spot due to the capacity limit.

Get Healthy!

⏰ 9.30am – 10.45am
📍 Front Lawn, Level 1
🏷 Free (pre-event registration is encouraged)
Register now by clicking this link here

Start the morning actively and join us for a refreshing workout with the iconic Great Singapore Workout or Kebaya-robics with our active seniors.

Great Singapore Workout
⏰ 9.30 – 9.45am | 10 – 10.15am

Kebaya-robics
⏰ 10.30 – 10.45am

For comfort and safety, please wear suitable attire and comfortable shoes. Onsite registration is available, however pre-event registration is encouraged.

Building Tour for Families

⏰ 2.30 – 3.15pm, 3.45 – 4.30pm
📍 Venue Rotunda, Level 1 (Meeting Point)
🏷 Free with refundable deposit of $10 per adult-child pair
Register now by clicking here

Join us on a learning journey around the museum and discover more interesting gems about our 136-year-old building!

Recommended for ages 7 to 12. Limited to 15 pairs of parent and child on a first come, first served basis.

Art Jamming: Travels Near and Far

⏰ 10am – 12.30pm
📍 Perform Room, Level 3
🏷 $15/pax or $28/parent-child pair
Register by clicking this link here

Where do you go to relax? Does your family have a place that you visit to unwind and relax? In this art jamming workshop, be inspired by your favourite places and create a large colourful map together!

Limited spaces available. Price includes all craft materials (with retail value of $20) and resources for self-facilitated visit to our special exhibition, Now Boarding: Experiencing Singapore through Travel, 1800s–2000s.

National Day Scavenger Hunt @ NMS

⏰ 10am – 5.30pm (closed from 12 – 1pm. final registration at 4.45pm)
Register at the Seminar Room, Level 2 (Hunt takes place in the galleries)
🏷 Free | Register by clicking this link here

Discover something new or interesting about Singapore in this special hunt that will take you through the museum’s galleries and special exhibitions Semangat yang Baru and Now Boarding.

Complete the hunt and you may stand a chance to redeem a National Day souvenir, featuring our local treats and brands, specially curated for you! Suitable as an activity for family and friends or even on your own!

Registration and redemption stations will be closed for lunch from 12-1pm. Suitable for participants aged 13 and above. Children aged 12 and below are welcome and must be accompanied by parents. Pre-registration is encouraged. Walk-in participation is subjected to availability. Souvenirs for this programme are made possible with the support of Tai Sun, Yakun Kaya Toast and Tai Sun.

Craft activities by STAEDTLER

⏰ 10 – 11am (priority slot for people with disabilities) | 11am – 12pm, 1 – 5pm (for public)
📍 Glass Atrium, Level 2 | Free

Create your own popsicle stick craft or design a card to wish Singapore a happy birthday.

This programme is supported by STAEDTLER. The station will be closed for lunch from 12–1pm.

Outdoor Performances

⏰ 4.45pm – 5.30pm (to be seated by 4.30pm)
📍 Front Lawn, Level 1 | Free

Groove to tunes performed by Jack and Rai and an exciting percussion performance, in the lead-up to the live screening of the National Day Parade!

Live Telecast of National Day Parade

⏰ 5.30pm – 8.30pm (to be seated by 5.15pm)
📍 Front Lawn, Level 1 | Free

National Day Celebrations at NMS (Image courtesy of NMS)

Enjoy a live telecast of the National Day Parade under the museum’s iconic Banyan tree with your family and friends.

Visitors may bring their own picnic mats.

‘Check-in’ to the National Museum of Singapore for a Whirlwind Adventure in Celebration of Singapore’s 58th Birthday

In celebration of the nation’s 58th birthday, the National Museum of Singapore will be returning with its ever-popular National Day Open House programmes and activities, as well as two new pop-up rooms that will complement the ongoing NMS Disco Room and offer visitors a glimpse into some of the popular sights around Singapore in the 1980s.

Exploring Singapore in a new light

Inspired by the themes featured in the museum’s latest exhibition, Now Boarding: Experiencing Singapore through Travel, 1800s–2000s, the new pop-up rooms will run from 4 August at the National Museum’s Glass Atrium:

1. Travel Lounge

NMS Now Boarding Experiencing Singapore through Travel

This room takes inspiration from Singapore Airline’s (SIA) Raffles Lounge which was first launched in 1976. The room spotlights three unique amenities and services that were offered on SIA flights from the 1970s to the 1980s – Slumberettes, custom divans that could be turned into beds located on a separate deck of the Boeing 747, which were precursors to the convertible flat beds on the first class seats; live in-flight entertainment performances on selected routes; and SIA’s one-of-a-kind dining experience, Hugo’s in the Sky.

2. Hotel

NMS Goodwood Park Hotel

There will also be a room inspired by the Goodwood Park Hotel in the 1980s, showcasing the recreated hotel lobby, corridor and hotel room, alongside a selection of objects specially loaned from the hotel’s collection including key cards, advertisements and postcards from the 1900s to 1970s.

3. An immersive trip down memory lane

Accompanying the pop-up rooms is an immersive audio tour that will take visitors on a self-guided exploration of the three spaces, through the recollections of a first-time traveller to Singapore in the 1980s. Titled ‘That Weekend in the Lion City’, the audio tour features engaging dialogue and soundscapes, whisking visitors on a whirlwind adventure across the island to experience the vibrant and bustling scenes of yesteryear Singapore. At the end of the tour, visitors are encouraged to continue their exploration at the Now Boarding exhibition, and complete the protagonist’s story by solving a mystery. Entries with the most creative responses will stand to win a range of exciting prizes, including a 2D1N staycation at Goodwood Park Hotel. The pop-up rooms and audio tour will be available till 19 November.

Celebrating our journey together

The National Museum will also be celebrating Singapore’s 58th birthday on 9 August, through a fun-filled day of activities including a scavenger hunt, storytelling sessions, a coffee workshop, and its much-anticipated annual outdoor ‘live’ screening of the National Day Parade on the museum’s front lawn! The ongoing façade light-up featuring snippets of the commissioned short film on the life and values of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the colours and symbols of Singapore, and the National Day theme of “Onward As One”, will also continue to run daily till 9 August.

Chung May Khuen, Director of the National Museum of Singapore, said, “National Day is a timely opportunity for us to reflect and celebrate on how far we’ve come as a nation. These exciting new offerings will provide an accessible entry point for our visitors across all ages to come together and discover or reconnect with Singapore’s history and culture through ways that are both engaging and familiar.”

Entry to the pop-up rooms is free, while visitors interested in the audio tour may reserve their preferred timeslot for S$5. Visitors are also encouraged to revisit their favourite stories and exhibits at the level 2 galleries of the National Museum before they close for a revamp from 4 September 2023. Admission to the National Museum’s permanent galleries is free for Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents.

For more information, please refer here.

Singapore’s National Day 2023

Singapore’s 58th Birthday is just around the corner. Check out our list of Fun Things To Do This National Day 2023 in Singapore.