Jewel Rain Vortex

Singapore gets a lot of rain. Someone at Changi decided to put it on a stage.

The Rain Vortex is one of the better free evenings in the east, as long as you treat it as more than a photo from the first railing. Arrive before sunset to see it by daylight and then under the Light & Music Showcase, look at it from at least three levels, and have dinner in Jewel in between. If you're actually flying, keep it a bonus, not a reason to cut your boarding time fine.

Strip away the light shows and it is a clever piece of plumbing. The water pours 40 metres, seven storeys, through an oculus in the middle of Jewel's glass dome, and the idea behind it is local weather: the design funnels rainwater at up to 10,000 gallons a minute during Singapore's thunderstorms, and the water is captured, recirculated and helps cool the air under the roof, with the excess used to irrigate the planting. Billed as the world's tallest indoor waterfall, it is a gutter that grew up and got a publicist.

It was designed by water specialists WET inside Moshe Safdie's doughnut-shaped building, which opened to the public in April 2019 on the site of Terminal 1's old open-air car park. Safdie has said his dream for such a building would be to open it up to the air and nature; the terraced indoor forest around the water is that idea made literal.

Where to stand

Different levels give you different waterfalls. Level 1 gives the full-height view. A mid-level trail puts you in the mist. Down in Basement 2 you see the water crash into a clear acrylic funnel, which also tames the splash and noise, and it is our favourite angle. The Forest Valley stairs make a good vantage point too, though the floor around them can be wet, so wear flat shoes. For the view few people plan, ride the Skytrain between Terminals 2 and 3, which glides through the dome past the falling water. And the Canopy Bridge up top, a ticketed glass-floored crossing 23 metres above the ground, looks straight at it.

Day or night

By day, natural light falls through the oculus and the water looks almost weightless against the green. After dark it becomes a screen for the Light & Music Showcase, short projected shows that throw colour and animation onto the curtain of water. Jewel's official page lists performances at 8pm and 9pm Monday to Thursday, with a 10pm show added Friday to Sunday and on public holidays and their eves; schedules change for maintenance and special shows, so check before building an evening around one.

Changi Airport MRT connects to Jewel via Terminals 2 and 3. Watching is free; the only cost is whatever Jewel's restaurants talk you into on the way.

Good to know Jewel's official page lists the waterfall running daily from 10am to 10pm and the Light & Music Showcase at 8pm and 9pm (plus 10pm Friday–Sunday, public holidays and eves). Schedules change for maintenance and special shows, so check before building an evening around it. Changi Airport MRT connects to Jewel via Terminals 2 and 3. Open on public holidays: the Rain Vortex runs 10am–10pm daily, and on public holidays and their eves the Light & Music Showcase has a third show at 10pm after the 8pm and 9pm ones.

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Jewel Rain Vortex | 78 Airport Boulevard, Singapore 819666 | Nearest MRT: Changi Airport