The Kallang

Fifty-five thousand seats under a retractable roof, and the better plan is a sit-on-top kayak on a Sunday morning.

Most people only see The Kallang on concert night, from a queue. The better visit is a day with nothing on: a rented kayak on the Kallang Basin in the morning, with the stadium roof on one side and the skyline on the other, lunch in one of the malls, then back after dark when the stadium lights up. It suits families and anyone who wants to be on the water without joining a club. The one thing to do first is check the events calendar, because a big concert changes access and rental arrangements.

Why the water is the point

The Water Sports Centre on the basin rents sit-on-top kayaks and canoes to walk-ins. No certification is needed, children aged seven to 12 must paddle with an adult, last rentals are at 5pm, and the centre is closed on Tuesdays (and for selected events and public holidays). There are courses too, from an orientation session to proper star awards. It is one of the few places in the city centre where you can be on the water without a membership, and the occasional dragon boat crew will remind you how little effort you are putting in.

The rest of the precinct

For a decade this was the Singapore Sports Hub. SportSG took it back from the private operator in 2022, and since November 2025 it has officially been The Kallang, 35 hectares of national sports and entertainment precinct. The National Stadium seats 55,000 under a retractable roof and has hosted everyone from Coldplay to Taylor Swift. Next door are the Singapore Indoor Stadium, OCBC Arena, home of the Singapore Tennis Open, and the OCBC Aquatic Centre, with two Olympic-size pools and a diving facility; it sells swim passes if you would rather do lengths than paddle. October’s calendar has included BIGBANG at the National Stadium and SING浪 at the Indoor Stadium.

On dry land, the sheltered 100PLUS Promenade is the family stretch, for walking, jogging and skating, with beach volleyball, bowls and giant chess. Kallang Wave Mall has Climb Central and a water playground, and is mid-makeover: works run from May 2026 to 2028 and are due to add an indoor climbing wall billed as “one of Southeast Asia’s tallest” and a rooftop padel facility. Leisure Park Kallang next door has Kallang Ice World. On a wet day, the Singapore Sports Museum and Shimano Cycling World, which traces bicycle history back to the penny-farthing, are the fallbacks.

How to do it well

Paddle early, before the heat makes the basin feel like a frying pan. Eat at one of the malls, and come back for the evening when the stadium is lit. Stadium MRT is on the doorstep. Longer term, the government’s Kallang Alive plan includes a new 18,000-seat indoor arena beside the Indoor Stadium, so expect the precinct to keep changing around you.

Good to know Stadium MRT is on the doorstep. Water Sports Centre hours are in the facts box; it is closed on Tuesdays, and rental rules, prices and closures change around big events, so check the official The Kallang site before you go.

The Kallang | Stadium Boulevard, Kallang, Singapore