Kid-Friendly Guide To The 2025 Pongal Festival In Singapore (13 – 16 January 2025)

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 Pongal Festival in Singapore. From the Open House at Indian Heritage Centre, neighbourhood festivities and more!

From 13 – 16 January 2025, Little India will bustle with even more colour and life than usual for the 2025 Pongal Festival, which features magnificent light displays at the Little India Pongal Light-up, a chance to see cows at the Pongal Cattle Farm at Clive Street and kid-friendly workshops. January is when several harvest festivals are celebrated in various parts of India, and Pongal is an important festival celebrated by the Tamil diaspora around the world.

Let’s take a look at the meaning of the Pongal festival and how it is celebrated in Singapore! Plus, we have all the deets on Indian Heritage Centre’s Pongal Open House 2025 , neighbourhood festivities and more.

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When is Pongal 2025?

Pongal is from 13 – 16 January 2025. The festival usually begins on the last day of the ninth month in the Tamil calendar. While details of the Pongal festivities are still under wraps, we know that there will typically be a Pongal Open House at the Indian Heritage Centre each year with lots of family-friendly cultural activities. Stay tuned as we update this space with more details!

What is Pongal?

Pongal is a four-day harvest festival celebrated by the Tamil Hindu community to convey gratitude and appreciation to the Sun God (Surya) for a successful harvest and to usher in a bountiful spring season. This is also a time when cattle are honoured, especially the cow, which is considered sacred in the Hindu religion. Pongal is an occasion for making offerings at the temple, for lively social gatherings, and for new beginnings when people don new clothes and do spring cleaning in their homes.

While we are unlikely to see “harvest seasons” living in an urban city like Singapore, this festival is still relatable in modern times. Pongal celebrations provide an opportunity to teach children (and ourselves) to value and celebrate mother nature and the animals around us, and to set our intentions for a fresh new start to the year. Pongal is also the name of the dish that is made and eaten during the festival, which consists of a mixture of boiled sweet rice. In fact, the word Pongal is derived from the Tamil word pongu, which means “to boil over”.

How is Pongal celebrated in Singapore?

Most families celebrate Pongal 2025 in Singapore at home with their loved ones. Most temples here will have communal Pongal cooking, and many devotees will also come to offer prayers and participate.

Pongal Open House 2025 in Singapore

The Little India Shopkeepers and Heritage Association (LISHA) and the Indian Heritage Centre have been involved in organising Pongal activities along Campbell Lane in Little India to celebrate Pongal. Past year’s activities saw a bazaar with festive goods like prayer items, traditional clothes, decorations, Indian sugar cane, and other ingredients relevant to the Pongal festival. Cows are also a core part of the Pongal harvest festival celebrations. Look out for the Cattle farm area @ Clive Street (from 9am – 8pm) where a few cows will be held (usually under a marquee so there’s shade – you’ll smell them before you see them!

This year, the Pongal 2025 Open House will take place on 11 and 12 January 2025 at the Indian Heritage Centre, between 10am and 6pm and is packed with plenty of activities for the whole family.

This farmer-themed Open House will feature a vibrant farmer’s market, where stalls will offer items tied to agriculture, farming and Indian culture. Kids can get creative with the many hands-on craft activities, or have fun with face-painting, photobooth, and carnival games. Be sure to stay for the live performances throughout the Pongal weekend.

Guests will also enjoy free admission to the museum in the Indian Heritage Centre! While you’re there, check out the stunning Pongal installations that are designed to share the significance and traditions of the festival. Click here for the full details of the activities.

When: 11 and 12 January 2025, 10am – 6pm.
Where: Indian Heritage Centre
How much: Free and paid activities. Click here for more details.

Pongal 2025 festivities in the heartlands

This year, the Pongal 2025 celebrations are coming to the Singapore heartlands, bringing the festivities right to your doorstep! Check out the many events happening below.

Mantra Pongal Bazaar @ Holy Tree Sri Balasubramaniar Temple

Mantra Events is hosting its very first Pongal Bazaar, in collaboration with the Holy Tree Sri Balasubramaniar Temple in Yishun! This festive market will showcase over 15 home-based businesses offering an array of traditional attire, accessories, food, home décor, and more. What makes this event even more special is that part of the proceeds from the bazaar will support the temple’s social assistance project, helping individuals in need.

When: 3 – 5 January 2025. Event will start from 5pm on 3 January 2025; 10am – 9pm on 4 – 5 January 2025.
Where: Holy Tree Sri Balasubramaniar Temple
How much: FREE! More details here.

Pongal-Makar Sankranti Festival @ Katong Community Centre

On 11 January, Katong Community Centre transforms into all this Pongal with live performances, traditional games, F&B vendors offering traditional dishes from Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, and even a 3D Village Display where you can explore the many ways Pongal and Makar Sankranti are celebrated in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra!

When: 11 January 2025, 10am – 1pm.
Where: Katong Community Centre, Multi-Purpose Hall
How much: FREE! Register here.

Pongal 2025 @ Woodlands

For the north-siders, Woodlands will host a Pongal festival which will feature vibrant cultural performances, activities booths such as colouring and cooking, a traditional vegetarian Banana Leaf lunch and more. Each guest will also receive a special goodie bag with Ghee and Ponni rice!

When: 19 January 2025, 8:30am – 1:30pm.
Where: Aurora Hall (next to Block 806, Woodlands Street 81)
How much: $5 per person. Purchase your tickets here.

Punggolil Pongal 2025 @ One Punggol

If you’re in the north-east region, mark your calendars for 26 January and head over to One Punggol for a day filled with cultural performances, festive shopping, and F&B offerings – including a traditional Banana Leaf lunch! There are also exciting Pongal-themed competitions to join! Kids can showcase their creativity in the Pot Painting Competition or dress to impress in the Fancy Dress Competition for a chance to win prizes. Click here to participate.

When: 26 January 2025, 9am – 1:30pm.
Where: One Punggol, Level 5 Multi-Purpose Hall
How much: $12 per person. Purchase your tickets here.

Understanding the Pongal Harvest Festival

The Pongal festival is spread out over four different days, and each day has its own meaning and traditions:

Day 1: Bhogi Pongal
The first day of Pongal is typically when houses are cleaned out and old belongings are discarded to mark a fresh start. Not only are houses decorated, but new clothes are also worn to celebrate a new chapter.

Day 2: Surya Pongal/Thai Pongal
The second day of Pongal is when the community honours the Sun God (Surya). Typically, households will decorate the main entrance into the home with kolam (a decorative art made with rice powder), and will typically cook rice with milk in an earthenware pot (pictured above), letting it boil over to symbolise the “bubbling over” of prosperity. The family will shout “Pongalo, Pongal” as the pot bubbles over, and this is followed by a meal with specially prepared dishes. The cooked Pongal from the pot is also offered to the Sun God.

In Singapore, you’ll find two kinds of cooked Pongal: Sakkarai Pongal (sweet) and Venn Pongal (savoury); the latter is usually served for breakfast. And while there are many ways to cook a pot of Pongal, common ingredients include rice and raisins, ghee, milk, cardamom and cashews.

Day 3: Mattu Pongal
The third day of Pongal is devoted towards cattle, to honour the hard work they do for farmers. In India, cows are bathed and dressed up with beards, flowers, bells, and more. While this isn’t common practice in Singapore, some dairy farms that are owned by members of the Indian community may offer thanksgiving prayers instead.

Day 4: Kaanum Pongal
The fourth day of Pongal is dedicated to strengthening familial and community ties. The elders of the family give their blessings to the younger folk, and most families typically gather for a meal together. In India, you will find traditional folk dances being performed – these include dances such as the mayilattam (peacock dance), kolattam (stick dance) or the poi kaal kuthirai attam (horse dance, pictured above).

We hope this info on 2025 Pongal has been helpful. Here’s wishing you all a wonderful Pongal celebration!

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