Things to do

31 things to do in Singapore in October

Edited by Jamie 15 October 2026

October is when Singapore stops pretending it has no seasons.

The second half of October is the better half. The Deepavali lights are up on Serangoon Road, the Asian Civilisations Museum has two of the year's best exhibitions under one roof, and hairy crab season has started. If you only do one thing, walk the lights on a weeknight and eat at Tekka Centre; if you do two, add an afternoon at ACM. The catch is Kallang, which has BIGBANG and NCT 127 on the same weekend, so plan around 17 and 18 October if you're not going.

Campbell Lane has turned bazaar and the ferries to Kusu Island are carrying pilgrims. National Gallery Singapore opens a big ink retrospective on 16 October. It is also, unavoidably, Halloween month: Haw Par Villa's hells come with extra scares, and Universal Studios runs its horror nights to the end of October. Comedy fills Sands Theatre and Capitol Theatre, and Cats arrives at Marina Bay Sands at the end of the month.

A few entries are already behind us (Avenged Sevenfold played on 13 October, and Tom's Palette's last day is 16 October); we've kept them as a record of the month. Everything here has a confirmed 2026 date. Check the official pages before you go, and keep an eye on haze.gov.sg if you are planning anything outdoors.

Valid Thursday 1 October 2026 – Saturday 31 October 2026 · Refreshed monthly

The roundup

1. Deepavali Light-Up on Serangoon Road
Nightly, 7pm-midnight, until 29 Nov · Little India
The free one to do first: more than 2km of Serangoon Road lit overhead, and the reason Little India is the place to be after dark this month. Go on a weeknight, before the festival rush builds, and walk the length of it with your head tilted skywards. Have a light dinner at Tekka Centre first; the walk is better without a food coma. The lights stay up until 29 November, so there is no need to fight the busiest weekend for them.
2. Fan Chang Tien: Rhythm of the Southern Brush
Opens Fri 16 Oct; until 31 Jan 2027 · Civic District
The ink show of the season, and worth more than a quick lap. National Gallery Singapore gives the ink painter, teacher and poet who arrived here in 1956 a full retrospective in the Wu Guanzhong Gallery: more than 70 works, from scrolls to seal carvings and poems. Read the poems and seals as part of each picture and the show clicks into place. It runs until the end of January, so there's no rush; pair it with Lai Foong Moi: Crossings in the same building.
Book on Klook for Fan Chang Tien: Rhythm of the Southern Brush (opens in a new tab)
3. Lai Foong Moi: Crossings
Until 3 Oct 2027 · Civic District
Her first solo presentation since the 1960s, and the natural partner to the Fan Chang Tien retrospective in the same building: trishaw riders, labourers on lunch break and a boat crossing that turns out to be about belonging. It is free for citizens and PRs and runs until October 2027, so it can wait for a quiet weekday if this month is full. Find Crossing (Home Coming) and give it five quiet minutes.
Book on Klook for Lai Foong Moi: Crossings (opens in a new tab)

4. Sacred Caves: Dunhuang at the Asian Civilisations Museum
Until 7 Mar 2027 · Civic District
The exhibition to bring children to: four life-size replicas of the Mogao caves, plus an apsara stamp rally that ends in a blind-box figurine, which is the most effective museum incentive scheme we know of. Start with the great reclining Buddha of Cave 158 in the Level 2 foyer and work outwards. It runs until March, so pick a weekday if you want room to stand back from the walls.
5. Crosscurrents: Islamic art from the Louvre
Until 24 Jan 2027 · Civic District
The other half of a Silk Road afternoon at ACM. With the Louvre's Islamic galleries closed for renovation, 100 of its objects are here, including Louis XIV's jade cup set with gold and rubies. Our favourite, though, is a Minangkabau brass ewer shaped like a chicken (Louis XIV would have had no answer to it). Do it with Dunhuang in one visit; it leaves in late January, a little ahead of the caves.
6. Maria Taniguchi: Afterimage, with a dance afternoon
Panel and dance Sun 25 Oct; show until 22 Nov · Tanjong Pagar
The SAM show to see this month, and Sunday 25 October is the day: a panel at 2pm and a Sigma Contemporary Dance performance among the works at 3.30pm. It's the Filipino artist's first solo show at a Singapore museum, with hand-painted brick canvases begun in 2008 and towering sculptures carved from duhat wood. Dance among big, still work is the right way to see it; if Sunday doesn't suit, the show runs until 22 November.
7. Haw Ror Villa 5! Back from the Dead
Thu-Sun nights through Oct, from 6.30pm · Pasir Panjang
The Halloween pick for anyone who finds theme-park scares too polished. Haw Par Villa's Ten Courts of Hell were already the most disturbing thing in Singapore after dark; Hell's Museum now adds four scare zones, a puzzle hunt and a labyrinth on Thursday to Sunday nights. Parental guidance is advised for under-nines, so think hard about younger children. Allow two hours, check the official page for nights and prices, and leave the full-face mask at home: it is not allowed.
Book on GetYourGuide for Haw Ror Villa 5! Back from the Dead (opens in a new tab)
8. Hairy crab season
From Mon 12 Oct
The season is on, and it's short. Shanghai's autumn ritual reached Singapore menus on 12 October: Min Jiang at Goodwood Park runs it to 30 November, TungLok Signatures has it too, and Jia Wei's six-course Golden Autumn set for two starts on 20 October. Book the set if you want the whole ritual done for you, and leave the white shirt at home. You will use your fingers, and you will not regret it.
9. Aro, Johanne Siy's new restaurant
Opened 25 Sep · River Valley
The new restaurant to book if you like to be surprised. Johanne Siy, the former Lolla chef named Asia's Best Female Chef 2023, opened her own 26-seat shophouse on 25 September, cooking with Philippine produce such as aligue, pili nuts and Asin Tibuok salt. The 12-course menu lists only ingredients, so the plates are a surprise, which is either the appeal or the dealbreaker. Take the chef's counter if you can, and with 26 seats, book well ahead.
10. Fico at Tanjong Beach Club
Opened 28 Sep · Sentosa
The beach lunch of the month. The East Coast Italian has opened a Sentosa sibling at Tanjong Beach Club, with a lighter, seafood-led menu from a coastal grill and a focaccina you can only get here. If you know the original, come for the seafood rather than a repeat. Book a long lunch that drifts into aperitivo hour, and keep one eye on the afternoon sky; a beach club in a Singapore thunderstorm is just a club.
11. Tembusu at the Botanic Gardens
Opened 3 Sep · Botanic Gardens
The best reason yet to take the dog out for a meal. The new restaurant in the old Halia space in the Ginger Garden cooks what it calls 'borderless Straits' food and has a dining area set aside for guests with pets. Make it the reward for a morning walk in the Botanic Gardens before the heat sets in, and mention the dog when you book so you get the right table.
12. Your Mother's House
Opened late Aug · Tanjong Pagar
The easiest new bar on Keong Saik Road. Two Employees Only alumni have opened a homely cocktail bar with a short, fixed-price list of eight drinks and a sharing-size Indomie goreng. Fixed prices mean you know the bill before you order, a rare comfort on this street, and the Indomie is the correct call at the end of a night. Go early in the week if you want to walk in without a plan.
13. Singapore Writers Festival early-bird pass
Early-bird until Sun 18 Oct; festival 13-22 Nov · Civic District
The deadline to note this weekend is not the festival but the early-bird Festival Pass, which ends on Sunday 18 October. The festival site gives the pass at S$24 early bird against S$30 regular, for a November programme whose biggest names are Amitav Ghosh (his keynote has since sold out) and Tan Twan Eng. Buy it by Sunday, then pick your sessions at leisure; the saving will cover a coffee between talks.
Book on Klook for Singapore Writers Festival early-bird pass (opens in a new tab)
14. Cats at Sands Theatre
29 Oct–22 Nov · Marina Bay
T. S. Eliot's Jellicle Cats gather in their junkyard at Marina Bay Sands from 29 October, and the run ends on 22 November, which is shorter than it sounds. Book early if 'Memory' is on your list, and check the box office for current prices. A late-October date gets it done before November fills up with everything else.
15. Junior and the Holiday Magic
From Wed 21 Oct · Bugis
The gentlest first taste of live theatre on this list. Singapore Repertory Theatre's children's arm, The Little Company, makes theatre for ages three and up, and this show is listed at Drama Centre Theatre from 21 October. Go before the year-end holidays begin, when every other family has the same idea, and check the venue and times when you book.
16. Deepavali Festival Village and Sangeetham Under the Stars
10 Oct-8 Nov, from 7pm; music Sat 17 & 31 Oct, 8-10pm · Little India
Ended. Not a current recommendation; see its page for the latest.
The other half of a Little India evening, and the place to shop rather than look: garlands, festive snacks, brass lamps and shopfronts spilling into the street from 7pm nightly. The free live music, Sangeetham Under the Stars, plays on the lane's open stage on two Saturday evenings, 17 and 31 October; check the festival site before you go. Bring small notes and an appetite, and do the lights on Serangoon Road on the same trip.
17. Kusu Island pilgrimage season
10 Oct-8 Nov · Southern Islands
Ended. Not a current recommendation; see its page for the latest.
The month's most unusual day out: for a month each year the little island off Marina South Pier fills with pilgrims visiting its temple and hilltop shrines. It is a religious occasion first, so dress for it and give way on the steps. Go on a weekday morning if you want the island quieter than the queue, and check the ferry operator for current departures, the last boat back and fares before you set out.
18. The revamped Singapore History Gallery
Stories of Everyday until 18 Oct; gallery permanent · Civic District
Ended. Not a current recommendation; see its page for the latest.
The museum visit to make this month if you live here. The National Museum's flagship gallery reopened on 10 October after its first major revamp, with Zubir Said's piano, a restored HDB lift and voice stations where you record your own two cents. The anniversary programme, Stories of Everyday, runs daily until 18 October with a design market and performances, so this weekend is the one to catch it. Check admission for residents and visitors on the museum's own site before you go.
19. Sunflower Surprise: Garden by the Ocean
Until 9 Nov, 9am-9pm · Marina Bay
Ended. Not a current recommendation; see its page for the latest.
The plan for a wet or hazy day: the Flower Dome has gone Portuguese, with a 6m Belem Lighthouse, Costa Nova beach houses and more than 5,000 sunflowers, some of them 1.8m tall. Look for 'Sunfinity Red', proof that not every sunflower is yellow. It's air-conditioned and buggy-friendly, so it works for small children and grandparents on the same trip. Go on a weekday morning; it runs until 9 November.
20. Garden Rhapsody: Opera in the Gardens
Daily 7.45pm & 8.45pm, until 31 Oct · Marina Bay
Ended. Kept here for the record, not as a recommendation.
The best free hour in October: the Supertrees' nightly light-and-sound show has an operatic score this month, with two shows a night at Supertree Grove. Lie back on the warm paving and let the arias do the rest. Do a dome or have dinner nearby beforehand and make an evening of it; the opera version ends with the month, so don't leave it to the last weekend.
21. Halloween Horror Nights 14
Selected nights to 1 Nov, 7.30pm-12.30am · Sentosa
Ended. Not a current recommendation; see its page for the latest.
The big-budget scare, and the opposite of Haw Par Villa: four haunted houses, scare zones and roaming characters at Universal Studios Singapore, running late into the night. RWS does not recommend it for anyone under 13, so this is a grown-up night out. Check the event nights on the official page before you buy, and compare prices across them; if your dates are flexible, the cheaper night is the same set of scares.
22. A last scoop at Tom's Palette
Until Fri 16 Oct · Bugis
Ended. Not a current recommendation; see its page for the latest.
After 21 years, the homegrown gelato shop that made Singapore desserts adventurous closes on Friday 16 October, Tom's Palette says. Its Encore Collection is a farewell lap of the most-requested flavours, at Middle Road in Bugis and Hougang Street 21 in Kovan. If you're reading this on the day, go early and go to whichever branch is nearer; after that, this entry is a thank-you rather than a plan.
Illustration
23. BIGBANG at the National Stadium
Sat 17 & Sun 18 Oct · Kallang
Ended. Kept here for the record, not as a recommendation.
The big Kallang weekend: BIGBANG's 2026-2027 world tour plays the National Stadium for two nights. Expect a stadium of VIPs (the fans, not the guest list) who have waited a long time for this. Eat at Kallang Wave Mall first and budget extra time for the MRT home; with NCT 127 at the Indoor Stadium on the Sunday, the trains out of Kallang will be carrying two crowds at once.
24. Avenged Sevenfold at the Indoor Stadium
Tue 13 Oct · Kallang
Ended. Kept here for the record, not as a recommendation.
Avenged Sevenfold brought their Asia Tour 2026 to the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Tuesday 13 October, so this one is now a record of the month rather than a plan. If you went, we hope your neck has recovered. For a loud night still to come, ARTBAT at Pasir Panjang Power Station on 17 October is the nearest thing on this list, with sensible shoes required.
25. NCT 127: Neo City Singapore - The Redline
Sun 18 Oct · Kallang
Ended. Kept here for the record, not as a recommendation.
The other half of Kallang's big weekend: NCT 127 play the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Sunday 18 October, the same weekend BIGBANG take the stadium next door. Check the official ticketing page for current prices. If you are not going, avoid Stadium MRT after the encores and plan your Sunday evening elsewhere; two K-pop crowds leaving at once is a great many light sticks.
26. ARTBAT at Pasir Panjang Power Station
Sat 17 Oct · Pasir Panjang
Ended. Kept here for the record, not as a recommendation.
The dance night of the month, and the venue is half the reason: ARTBAT take over the old Pasir Panjang Power Station, one of the city's more atmospheric industrial shells, on Saturday 17 October. Check the official ticketing page for current prices and set times. Wear sensible shoes, and sort out the ride home before you go; Pasir Panjang at closing time is not the CBD.
27. Silica Gel at the Esplanade Annexe Studio
Mon 19 Oct · Marina Bay
Ended. Kept here for the record, not as a recommendation.
The small-room gig of the month: Silica Gel bring Syn.THE.Size: Ballad Of You to the Esplanade Annexe Studio, an intimate room by the bay, on Monday 19 October. A Monday-night gig in a room that size will feel like you found it first. Check the official ticketing page for prices and availability before you plan the evening around it.
28. Mark Lee and the Sands Comedy Season
Fri 16-Sun 18 Oct · Marina Bay
Ended. Kept here for the record, not as a recommendation.
The comedy weekend for a local audience. The second Sands Comedy Season brings Mark Lee's Old Horse Still Have Spring 2.0 to Sands Theatre for two nights, then Xiaoguo Comedy's touring show and Liang Hai Yuan's Three Nights of Genius on the Sunday. Mark Lee is the one to book if you want to laugh at home truths, and the title tells you the register. Check the language of your show before you book.
29. Aaron Chen at Just For Laughs Singapore
Mon 19 Oct, 7pm · Civic District
Ended. Kept here for the record, not as a recommendation.
The comedy pick for anyone who likes it awkward on purpose. Aaron Chen brings his show Technology to Capitol Theatre as part of Just For Laughs Singapore, which runs from 6 October to 1 December. A gilded 1930s cinema is a fine room for awkward silences done on purpose. The 7pm Monday start means you go straight from work and eat afterwards.
30. Fat Kids Are Harder To Kidnap
16-25 Oct · Civic District
Ended. Kept here for the record, not as a recommendation.
The group night out of the month: Wild Rice's 18th outing of the format, 31 short plays performed in whatever order the audience shouts out, against a countdown clock. It's chaotic and quick, and the more of you there are shouting, the better it works. Check the theatre for current prices, and book early if your group can only agree on one night.
31. Children's Museum Singapore, free
Until 12 Nov · Civic District
Ended. Not a current recommendation; see its page for the latest.
If the museum's own booking page still shows free entry until 12 November, this is the cheapest cool morning in town for under-eights. Only Level 1 is open, and hour-long sessions must be booked online, so check session times before you set out rather than turning up. An hour is about the right length for small children anyway, and it leaves the rest of the day for a nap.