Celebrate the Lunar New Year with Family Fun at the Wan Qing Festival of Spring 2024

Come celebrate the Year of the Dragon with family fun activities at the Wan Qing Festival of Spring at the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall.

Venue: Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall
Dates: 16 Jan - 25 Feb 2024
Admission: Free with ticketed activities

Celebrate the Year of the Dragon at Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall with Wan Qing Festival of Spring 2024! Head down to the cultural centre for a spirited weekend as we celebrate the spring festival with an exciting line-up of programmes and activities, suitable for all ages.

Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with the heritage centre as we round up the mystical dragon for the festival including dragon lantern making, dragon’s beard candy making, mystical creatures bag making, temple tours and more!

Expect other family-friendly offerings such as lion dance and festive drumming workshops, heritage trails, storytelling, mini games and craft activities for the little ones, food tasting and more! Spend the spring evening with melodious Chinese music performances by Singapore Chinese Orchestra and Chinese wind and percussion ensemble, Reverberance to close the festival on a high note.

Finally, capture your Lunar New Year OOTDs at the ginormous lawn installation! 

Lawn Installation: Prosperity All Year LONG

Date: 16 January – 25 February 2024
Time: 10am – 7pm daily (Last admission at 6.50pm)
Admission: Free

One of the cherished customs associated with the Lunar New Year and widely practised by the Chinese community worldwide is the putting up of festive decorations at home and at the workplace to usher in the new year. Every year, SYSNMH honours this tradition by decorating its building and compound with auspicious decorations and plants, and its annual lawn installation.

Titled Prosperity All Year LONG, this year’s lawn installation is a collaboration between SYSNMH and local toy designer and artist Ziqi. It features the designer’s popular character, Dino, reimagined and redesigned in a collaboration with Japanese artist Yasu (EBINEKOYA).  

Dressed in auspicious colours of red and orange, the Mononoke Dinos are a modern interpretation of the mythical dragon and as with dragons, they symbolise success, strength, nobility, abundance and good luck. Moreover, the presence of twin dragons represents a “doubling” of opportunities and good fortune in the year ahead.  

This installation therefore conveys the Memorial Hall’s wish for success, abundance and good luck for our visitors, for Singaporeans, and for Singapore in the year 2024. It will be on display on the lawn of the Memorial Hall until 25 February 2024.

Lunar New Year Hongbao Giveaway

Date: From 12 January 2024 onwards
Time: 10am – 5pm (closed on Mondays)

It’s time to usher in the Year of the Dragon with the Museum Roundtable (MR) and SYSNMH! Get ready to collect specially designed hongbaos from 43 participating museums and galleries. 

Don’t miss the chance to get the limited edition SYSNMH hongbao for FREE! To redeem, simply visit the Memorial Hall, follow the SYSNMH Facebook or Instagram page, and verify at the visitor services counter from 12 January 2024 onwards. Limited to the first 50 visitors per day (1 pack per person) and available whilst stocks last!

Auspicious Lion & Dragon Dance Performance and God of Fortune Visit

Date: 10 February 2024
Time: 10am – 12pm

Revel in the festivities and usher in the Lunar New Year at the Memorial Hall with the beloved annual lion and dragon dance performance on the first day of the Lunar New Year!

Also don’t miss the chance to rub shoulders with the God of Fortune for an auspicious year ahead! The God of Fortune will be at the Memorial Hall and giving away sweet treats for a bountiful year.

Workshops and More

Families can expect free activities including craft activities, storytelling and more. There will also be a series of paid workshops sharing traditional handicrafts and cultural arts. These workshops will be taking place between 17 and 18 Feb at the heritage centre and are chargeable. Based on past experience, the workshops are very popular and tickets get snapped up quickly!

We have shared the details of the workshops available for you to review, so you will know what to purchase when tickets go on sale from 19 Jan 2024 at 10 am from here.

Dragon’s Beard Candy Making Workshop

Date: 17 February 2024
Time: 10.30am – 11.30am
Admission: $12 per pax (Recommended for participants aged 6 years and above)

Embark on a sweet journey at our Dragon’s Beard Candy Making Workshop! Known for its silky threads and melt-in-your-mouth texture, participants will learn how to create this ancient Chinese delicacy and experience the process of pulling and stretching the candy to achieve the perfect consistency. 

Parent-Child Mythical Creatures Bag Making Workshop

Date: 17 February 2024
Time: 1pm – 2.30pm
Admission: $24 per parent-child pair (Recommended for children aged 4 years to 12 years old)

Under the guidance of Andy from A2+rt Studio, team up with your child for a creative needlework bonding session to sew and decorate small crossbody bags of Chinese auspicious mythical creatures such as a dragon and a phoenix. Participants also get to assemble a revolving lantern accessory during the workshop. Each parent-child pair will get to sew two bags and assemble one revolving lantern. 

Dragon Lantern Making Workshop

Date: 18 February 2024
Time: 10am – 12.30pm (Recommended for participants aged 13 years and above)

Ignite that spark for crafting this Wan Qing Festival of Spring at our Dragon Lantern Making Workshop! Guided by Jimm Wong, one of Singapore's last traditional Chinese lantern makers, feel the satisfaction as you make and personalise your very own dragon lantern masterpiece from scratch.

Children Lion Dance Workshop

Date: 17 February 2024
Time: 3.30pm – 4.30pm, 4.30pm – 5.30pm
Admission: $12 per pax (Recommended for children aged 6 years and above)

Let your child get into the festive spirit with this interactive lion dance workshop! Limber up with a series of full body stretches, learn basic dance movements from expert instructors, have fun trying on miniature lion dance costumes, and discover the origins behind this well-loved artform. 

Children Festive Chinese Drums Workshop

Date: 18 February 2024
Time: 3.30pm – 4.30pm, 4.30pm – 5.30pm
Admission: $12 per pax (Recommended for children aged 6 years and above)

Drum up a storm in this energetic musical workshop – your child will learn basic drumming techniques used for Chinese percussion instruments and experience a variety of rhythms and beats.

Live on the Lawn

Families who visit on 17 and 18 Feb 2024 will also be entertained by performances on the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall's lawn. This includes dance performances, contest and more. 

Live on the Lawn: Hakka Qilin Dance by Yan Wong Cultural Troupe Singapore

Date: 18 February 2024
Time: 1.45pm – 2pm
Admission: Free

The Hakka Qilin dance is a traditional Chinese folk dance characterised by vibrant movements and colourful costumes, symbolising the mythical Qilin, a legendary creature believed to bring good fortune and prosperity. Catch this rare performance by Yan Wong Cultural Troupe Singapore as they showcase this traditional Chinese folk dance on the grounds of the Memorial Hall. 

Live on the Lawn: Lunar New Year Family Fun Contest

Date: 17 & 18 February 2024
Time: 2.30pm – 3.30pm
Admission: Free

Gather your family for a Lunar New Year Family Fun Contest on stage! Engage in friendly rivalry as you join other families in a series of exciting Lunar New Year themed games. It’s a session of bonding and fun! Limited spots available, register your interest on the day to reserve your spot.

Live on the Lawn: SCO goes to Wan Qing Yuan

Date: 17 February 2024
Time: 5.30pm – 6.30pm
Admission: Free

For the first time, Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) will be performing at Wan Qing Yuan! Under the baton of Associate Conductor Moses Gay, SCO will perform a blend of traditional and contemporary melodies, such as Full of Joy, Welcome Spring and Good Fortune, Gong Xi Gong Xi, Nocturnal Peace, Journey to Suzhou, Longing for the Spring Breeze, The Spring Breeze Kisses My Face, Winter Jasmines, Here Comes Fortune, Celebrating the New Year, New Year Greetings and Gong Xi Fa Cai as part of Wan Qing Festival of Spring 2024. Mark your calendars and extend this invitation to your friends and loved ones to join us in welcoming the Lunar New Year! Not to be missed!

Live on the Lawn: Chinese Wind & Percussion Music by Reverberance

Date: 18 February 2024
Time: 5.30pm – 6.30pm
Admission: Free

Comprising of top award winning and youthful local musicians, Reverberance will be bringing you lively Chinese wind and percussion music pieces to celebrate the Spring season and to close the Wan Qing Festival of Spring on a high note. Don’t miss the opportunity to try out the Chinese drums and perform with the musicians during this performance.  

For more information about the Wan Qing Festival of Spring 2024, please visit Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall’s website (https://www.sysnmh.org.sg/en)