Things to do with kids in the school holidays: Singapore, November–December 2026

The roundup

1. 1

   

   1. Christmas snowfall and the Pokémon trails, Jewel Changi Airport

   Pokémon displays to Sun 31 Jan 2027 · card trail to Sun 3 Jan 2027, redemption 11am–10pm (last 9.30pm) · Christmas at Jewel Fri 13 Nov 2026 – Sun 3 Jan 2027, snowfall 8.05pm and 9.05pm, plus 10.05pm Fri–Sun, eves of public holidays and public holidays (10.05pm at Forest Valley only) · Changi

   The best free afternoon on this list, and it is two things in one building. The Pokémon displays fill Forest Valley with an Eevee zone, a Snorlax zone and a 3-metre Pikachu until 31 January, and a card trail of all 27 first-partner Pokémon runs from Basement 1 to Level 5 until 3 January; finish the quiz and the B1 counter swaps the card for an anniversary postcard, 11am to 10pm. Stay on for the snowfall under the 16-metre tree at 8.05pm. Start the trail by 4pm so the postcard is in hand before the crowds come for the snow.

   Good for: Families

   Admission

   Free; Canopy Park on Level 5, with its own snowfall, is ticketed

   Venue

   Forest Valley and Canopy Park, Jewel Changi Airport, 78 Airport Boulevard

   Getting there

   Changi Airport MRT, then the link bridge from Terminal 3

   Official site for Christmas snowfall and the Pokémon trails, Jewel Changi Airport (opens in a new tab)
2. 2

   

   2. The Great Christmas Village, Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza

   Fri 13 Nov 2026 – Sun 3 Jan 2027 · daily 3–10pm · Fri and Sat in December to 10.30pm · 24 Dec to 1am · snowfall 8pm and 9pm · Orchard

   Free to walk into, and the one children will ask for by name once they see it: the Mastercard Train, pinball, claw machines, a balloon shooting range, a LEGO workshop and the Marvel Avengers tree, with snowfall at the Hitachi Santa House at 8pm and 9pm every night. The real admission fee is the carnival card, from S$35, so set the budget before the claw machines set it for you. Weekday evenings after the office crowd has gone home are the gentle version; December weekends are a crush.

   Good for: FamiliesFriends

   Admission

   Free entry; carnival card S$35, S$50 or S$100, which buys 35, 70 or 150 credits when paid by Mastercard

   Venue

   Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza, 391 Orchard Road

   Getting there

   Orchard MRT

3. 3

   

   3. A Sweet Christmas, Downtown East

   Fri–Sun, 20 Nov – 20 Dec 2026 · noon–8pm · piñata 22 and 29 Nov, 6, 13 and 20 Dec at 2pm · bubble shows 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20 Dec at 7pm · carolling 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 24 and 25 Dec at 6.30pm and 7.30pm · Pasir Ris

   The east side's answer to Orchard Road, and easier on the nerves: a candy-themed weekend market at Event Square with a programme you can plan a Saturday round. Children aged 12 and under get a go at the lollipop piñata at 2pm on Sundays, there are bubble shows at 7pm on the December weekends and carolling at 6.30 and 7.30pm. Free to wander; the ticketed half is Wild Wild Wet next door. Pair it with an afternoon at the water park, then the 7pm bubbles, and the children will sleep in the car.

   Good for: Families

   Admission

   Free; Wild Wild Wet day passes are separate

   Venue

   Event Square, Downtown East, 1 Pasir Ris Close

   Getting there

   Pasir Ris MRT, then a ten-minute walk

4. 4

   

   4. Funtastical World of Fungi, Singapore Botanic Gardens

   To Sun 10 Jan 2027 · CDL Green Gallery daily 9am–6pm, closed on the last Tuesday of each month (24 Nov and 29 Dec) · Botanic Gardens

   A free, air-conditioned half-hour that is better than it sounds: an art installation with live bioluminescent mycelium, then how fungi grow, feed and spread, and the species found here, in the CDL Green Gallery, with more displays at the People's Galleries by the five main gates. It suits a curious 6-to-10-year-old and a parent who wants a reason to walk the Gardens before the heat. Go at 9am opening, then walk on through the Gardens; it shuts on the last Tuesday of the month, which in December is the 29th.

   Good for: Families

   Admission

   Free

   Venue

   CDL Green Gallery, Singapore Botanic Gardens, 1 Cluny Road

   Getting there

   Botanic Gardens MRT

   Official site for Funtastical World of Fungi, Singapore Botanic Gardens (opens in a new tab)
5. 5

   

   5. Gardens-A-Glow, Singapore Botanic Gardens

   Sat 5 Dec 2026 – Sun 3 Jan 2027 · Botanic Gardens

   The calm Christmas outing, and free: about 250 trees decorated by families, schools and community groups, with light installations and a festive display at the Bukit Timah Gate themed on Oceania. Children like spotting the tree their school did; adults like that nobody is selling anything. NParks hasn't published separate hours for the lights, so go at dusk, start at the Bukit Timah Gate by Botanic Gardens MRT and walk south. Bring mosquito repellent and an umbrella, and skip it on a night of heavy rain.

   Good for: FamiliesCouples

   Admission

   Free

   Venue

   Singapore Botanic Gardens, 1 Cluny Road; the main display is at the Bukit Timah Gate

   Getting there

   Botanic Gardens MRT

   Official site for Gardens-A-Glow, Singapore Botanic Gardens (opens in a new tab)
6. 6

   

   6. Glowing Oceans, Science Centre Singapore

   From Tue 3 Nov 2026 · Tue–Sun 10am–5pm, last admission 4.15pm · open Mondays during public and gazetted school holidays · Jurong

   The rainy-day pick for the over-4s: a dark lagoon of live bioluminescent plankton you wade through in booties, touch tanks that light up when you swirl them, and the science behind it. Science Centre says it is not suitable for under-4s, under-12s must be supervised, and strollers stay in the lockers. Wear clothes you can roll up, and the centre asks for no lotion or sunscreen on hands and arms. Book the bundle with Science Centre admission and make a day of it in Jurong East; the centre opens on Mondays during the school holidays.

   Good for: Families

   Admission

   With Science Centre admission: Singapore residents S$12 adult, S$10 child at peak times (S$7 off-peak); standard S$18 adult, S$14 child; not for under-4s

   Venue

   Science Centre Singapore, 15 Science Centre Road

   Getting there

   Jurong East MRT

   Official site for Glowing Oceans, Science Centre Singapore (opens in a new tab)
7. 7

   

   7. Christmas Train Show, Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay

   Fri 20 Nov 2026 – Sun 3 Jan 2027 · 9am–9pm · Marina Bay

   The air-conditioned answer for small children: model trains through the American West and East Coasts, two SMRT trains past MRT stations reimagined by NUS architecture students, and Santa's workshop, post office and sauna in a snowy Rovaniemi, among the poinsettias. It is included in Flower Dome admission, so you pay for the dome, not the trains. Go at 9am opening on a weekday and save the evening for the Supertrees.

   Good for: Families

   Admission

   Included with Flower Dome admission

   Venue

   Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Drive

   Getting there

   Bayfront MRT

   Book on Klook for Christmas Train Show, Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay (opens in a new tab)
8. 8

   

   8. Pop after Pop: Art around Us, National Gallery Singapore

   Fri 11 Dec 2026 – Sun 4 Apr 2027 · timed entry · Civic District

   The teenager pick, and good value for the small ones: more than 200 works by over 100 artists, Warhol and Lichtenstein beside Ming Wong and FX Harsono, in what the Gallery bills as Southeast Asia's largest Pop Art group exhibition. Children aged 6 and under go free; 7-to-12s get S$5 off. It is timed entry with no re-entry, so book a slot and arrive 15 minutes early, and don't promise anyone a quick hour. It opens on 11 December, so it is a second-half-of-the-holidays plan.

   Good for: FamiliesFriends

   Admission

   Special Exhibition or All Access ticket, from S$15; free for children aged 6 and under; S$5 off for ages 7–12

   Venue

   Singtel Special Exhibition Galleries 1 and 2 and Special Exhibition Gallery 3, National Gallery Singapore, 1 St Andrew's Road

   Getting there

   City Hall MRT

   Official site for Pop after Pop: Art around Us, National Gallery Singapore (opens in a new tab)
9. 9

   

   9. The Story of Studio Ghibli, Gardens by the Bay

   Fri 18 Dec 2026 – Sun 4 Jul 2027 · daily 10am–7pm · Marina Bay

   The big new one, and it opens on 18 December: 12 walk-through scenes from the films across about 3,500 square metres of the West Lawn, from Totoro's bus stop to an eight-metre bathhouse, taking 60 to 75 minutes. The organiser says it suits all ages, with children supervised, and there is no time limit once you are in. Tickets are sold online through Klook, with few on the door, so book a weekday morning slot now and keep Christmas week for something else if you can.

   Good for: FamiliesFriendsCouples

   Admission

   Residents S$29 child, S$39 adult; non-residents S$43 child, S$49 adult

   Venue

   West Lawn (beside the Active Garden), Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Drive

   Getting there

   Bayfront MRT

   Book on Klook for The Story of Studio Ghibli, Gardens by the Bay (opens in a new tab)
10. 10

    

    10. Zoolympix: Stars of Mandai Festive Challenge, Mandai

    Daily during the year-end holidays · 10am–7pm (Mandai's page doesn't print an end date; its partner trail runs to Sun 3 Jan 2027) · Mandai

    For children who need to run something off: ten action challenges on the East Lawn, each modelled on a Mandai animal (swing like Ah Meng the orangutan, balance like Karma), with a stamp card and a medal at the end, plus five bonus outposts inside the parks. Mandai sets no age limit, but it suits active 4-to-12-year-olds. It is a separate ticket from the zoo, so it works as the reward after a morning at the parks; go after 4pm, when the lawn has cooled.

    Good for: Families

    Admission

    Separate Zoolympix Village ticket, S$20 at Mandai's usual price; park admission extra

    Venue

    Zoolympix Village, Mandai Wildlife East Lawn, 80 Mandai Lake Road

    Getting there

    Springleaf MRT

11. 11

    

    11. Christmas Wonderland, Gardens by the Bay

    Fri 27 Nov 2026 – Sun 3 Jan 2027 · 6.30–11pm · entry sessions 6.30pm, 7.30pm, 8.30pm, 9.30pm · last admission 10.15pm · Marina Bay

    The full-tilt Christmas night out: a ticketed fairground across the Supertree Grove and the Meadow, with light displays, a flying Santa over the Meadow, Blizzard Time at the Spalliera, carnival games and rides, in its 13th year. Entry is by timed session and the fairground stays open to 11pm, which is late for a five-year-old, so book the 6.30pm session on a weeknight and leave by 9. Adults pay S$9 to S$16 depending on the night, children aged 3 to 12 S$7 and under-3s nothing; an off-peak night (27 November to 3 December, or 7 to 10 December) booked by the day before is the cheapest. The free Garden Rhapsody at the Supertrees is the fallback.

    Good for: FamiliesCouples

    Admission

    Adults S$9–S$13 booked by the day before, S$12–S$16 on the day, depending on the night; children 3–12 S$7; under-3s free; rides and games extra

    Venue

    Supertree Grove and the Meadow, Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Drive

    Getting there

    Bayfront MRT

    Official site for Christmas Wonderland, Gardens by the Bay (opens in a new tab)
12. 12

    

    12. Monkey Goes West, Wild Rice at Funan

    Thu 12 Nov – Sun 27 Dec 2026 · Tue–Thu 7.30pm · Fri 7.30pm · Sat 2.30pm and 7.30pm · Sun 1.30pm · sensory-friendly Sun 20 Dec 1.30pm · Civic District

    The holiday pantomime with a Singapore accent: Alfian Sa'at's version of Journey to the West, music by Elaine Chan, back at Wild Rice's theatre in Funan. Wild Rice recommends it for ages 5 and up, and it runs about 2 hours 30 minutes with a 20-minute interval, so it is a matinee for the under-8s. The Sunday 20 December 1.30pm show is sensory-friendly, with lower sound and a break area. It is the dearest pick here; Tuesday to Thursday evenings are the cheaper nights.

    Good for: Families

    Admission

    Tue–Thu S$55–S$105; Fri–Sun S$60–S$120; previews S$50–S$95; recommended for ages 5 and up

    Venue

    The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre, Wild Rice @ Funan, #04-08 Funan, 107 North Bridge Road

    Getting there

    City Hall MRT

    Official site for Monkey Goes West, Wild Rice at Funan (opens in a new tab)