Year-end school holidays 2026: A family survival plan

Six weeks, two long weekends and the wettest month of the year. Plan accordingly.

Six school-free weeks in the wettest stretch of the year need a plan, and ours is short: book the one big show now, keep outdoor plans to the mornings and afternoons indoors, and spread the outings out. If your children are five or older, Wild Rice's Monkey Goes West is the booking to make first; everything else can wait a week. Here are the dates, the shows worth the money and how to work round the rain.

The dates

The Ministry of Education has the 2026 school year for MOE kindergartens, primary and secondary schools ending on Friday 20 November, with the holidays running from Saturday 21 November to Thursday 31 December. Junior college Year 1 students break a week later, from Saturday 28 November, while JC Year 2 students finish after their A-Level papers. Schools used as O-Level exam venues end Term IV early, on 23 October. Within the window, Christmas Day (Friday 25 December) is a public holiday on the Ministry of Manpower's list, and New Year's Day 2027 is also a Friday, giving two long weekends to close the year.

The weather problem

November and December are Singapore's two wettest months; the Meteorological Service puts December's long-term average at 331.9mm of rain. Inter-monsoon thunderstorms favour afternoons and early evenings through November, and the Northeast Monsoon's opening weeks in December can bring longer spells of heavy rain. Our rule: outdoor plans in the morning, indoor plans after lunch, and a back-up for everything.

Shows worth booking now

The headliner is Wild Rice's Monkey Goes West at Funan, opening 12 November. It is recommended for ages 5 and up and runs two and a half hours with an interval, which is a long sit for a five-year-old, so take aisle seats and a snack for the break. A second cast of child performers takes over from 8 December, and there is an audio-described performance with a touch tour on 12 December at 2.30pm. Prices are in the facts box; confirm them with the box office.

For younger, wrigglier audiences, DINO-A-LIVE Premium Dinosaur Odyssey stomps into the Resorts World Convention Centre on Sentosa from 3 to 6 December. It is 70 minutes with no interval and no dialogue, which makes it the better bet for mixed ages and short attention spans.

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra has two family dates. Family Film Favourites, on 14 and 15 November at Victoria Concert Hall, falls the weekend before term ends: one hour, a relaxed performance where audiences may come and go, aimed at ages 5 and up, with a discount for groups of four or more. It is the gentlest first concert we can think of. The Christmas Concert at the Esplanade on 11 and 12 December is longer and more formal, and toddlers are not admitted.

Free, or nearly

Not every day needs a ticket. The BYD Singapore International Marathon fills the first weekend of December (4 to 6 December), and lining the route to cheer is free; race entries closed in September. Orchard Road's Christmas light-up has historically opened in early November and run to New Year, but the 2026 dates weren't out when we checked on 11 October. And from 11 December the National Gallery's big pop art show, Pop after Pop, is a colourful, air-conditioned escape for a wet afternoon, with cheaper tickets for Singaporeans and PRs.

A few tactics

Book the ticketed shows early, weekend matinées first. Spread the big outings across the six weeks rather than front-loading the first fortnight, when everyone else has the same idea. Check age guidance carefully: several concerts refuse entry to infants in arms, and every child needs a ticket. Keep the week before Christmas low-key: BTS play the National Stadium between 17 and 22 December, so expect busy trains towards Kallang on those nights.

Do that and the six weeks start to look less like an endurance test and more like a proper holiday. Mostly.

Good to know Holiday dates are from MOE's 2026 school terms release; show prices and times are from Little Big Red Dot (10 Oct 2026) and may change, so confirm with the box office before booking.