Don’t Miss FREE Lantern Walks, Arts & Crafts & Mid-Autumn Festival Activities at Singapore Discovery Centre!

Take your kids over to Singapore Discovery Centre for Mid-Autumn Festival activities, arts & crafts and moonlit lantern walks! It’s a great way for kids to understand the festivities around this local culture in Singapore

What do your kids know about the Mid-Autumn Festival? Singapore Discovery Centre (SDC), is one of the go-to spots when it comes to learning all about Singapore thanks to its interactive galleries and multi-sensory attractions that tell the story of our nation’s past and present. If you’d like to get into the Mid-Autumn spirit with hands-on kids’ activities that bring the traditions of this local culture and festival to life – head over to Singapore Discovery Centre on 18, 19, and 21 September. There will be lantern walks, traditional Mid-Autumn games and riddles, fun workshops with free lantern-making crafts and more! Your kiddos will also get to hear Mid-Autumn themed stories as you light up lanterns and go on a walk around SDC under the moonlight…doesn’t that sound like a memorable way for your kids to experience this cultural celebration?

Here are the Mid-Autumn Festival activities and highlights at SDC to check out…

1. Make Your Own Rabbit Lantern (FREE!)

Kids love arts and crafts and this workshop brings one of the main characters of the Mid-Autumn Festival to life. Make paper rabbit lanterns in this fun, free, kid-friendly craft activity. You can even use your lantern when you join the special Lantern Walk storytelling programme later on!
Tip: Purchase a LED light at the gift shop and your lantern will light up as you go on a Lantern Walk to hear the Mid-Autumn Festival story!
When: 4 – 26 September, Weekdays: 1pm to 6pm | Weekends, Public Holidays, and School Term Holidays: 11am to 8pm
Where: Play Ground, Singapore Discovery Centre
How much: Free

2. Lantern Walk Storytelling (FREE!)

Ever wondered about the jade rabbit and its significance? Or who exactly was Chang’e? Or why Wu Gang is forever trying to cut down the tree? Light up your paper lanterns (you can make these at the Play Ground for free) and find out about these traditional stories in a special Lantern Walk with Storytelling! Two guides will walk you around SDC and bring the Mid-Autumn Festival to life with their storytelling!
When: 18, 19 & 21 September, 7pm to 9pm (30-min intervals)
Where: Bandstand @ Discovery Lake, Singapore Discovery Centre
How much: Free but pre-registration required – hurry sign up now! Only slots for 21 September are left!

3. Go on an Eco-sustainability Tour

While you are at SDC take the opportunity to teach the kids about our environment, sustainability and where food comes from. Join an eco-sustainability tour where your kids will get the chance to don lifejackets and walk along the boardwalk on the lake to see the floating solar panel installation – Singapore’s most viable source of renewable energy in action! You’ll then get a mini-tour of the urban garden, followed by the chance to design your own planter containers and plant your own microgreens to take home! In case of wet weather, you can take part in some sensory games in lieu of the boardwalk and urban farm tour (can you smell which scent is lemon vs lime?).
When: 18 September, 12pm and 2pm (1.5 hour sessions)
Where: Singapore Discovery Centre
How much: $12 non-members, $10 members

4. Moonwalk Trail Activity (FREE!)

Hunt for clues to learn more about the Moon and its significance in the Mid-Autumn Festival by taking part in this free self-guided centre-wide trail! Kids will receive an activity card to find the clues around the galleries – once completed they can have a go at spinning the prize wheel – kids will be excited to see what they will win!
When: 18, 19 & 21 September, Weekdays: 1pm to 6pm | Weekends, Public Holidays, and School Term Holidays: 11am to 8pm
Where: Play Ground, Singapore Discovery Centre
How much: Free

5. Admire the floating lights: Moon Mirrors (FREE!)

If your kids get excited about staying up when the sun goes down, this experience is going to be a treat! Moon Mirrors is a floating light installation that turns on at 6pm – think lots of twinkling lights floating over the waters of the Discovery Lake under the night sky. The ‘Moon Mirrors’ installation reflects the yearnings of homecoming and reunion.
When: Until 26 September day (installation lights up from 6pm)
Where: Discovery Lake, Singapore Discovery Centre.
How much: Free

6. Watercolour Painting & Moongazing (FREE)

Join in this free night time watercolour painting session to explore simple watercolour techniques and create your very own unique moon portrait as you bask in the moonlight by the lake!
When: 18, 19 & 21 September, 6pm to 9pm (30 mins interval)
Where: Bandstand @ Discovery Lake, Singapore Discovery Centre
How much: Free but pre-registration required – hurry sign up now! Only slots for 21 September are left!

7. Mid-Autumn Festival Riddles & Games (FREE!)

In the mood for some fun? Get a brain tease by trying some traditional lantern riddles or have a go at some tabletop games!
When: 18, 19 & 21 September, 5pm – 9pm
Where: Concourse, Singapore Discovery Centre

8. Permanent Exhibits Gallery

A trip to Singapore Discovery Centre is not complete without a look around its Permanent Exhibits Gallery. The theme is ‘Through the Lens of Time’ and takes a look at Singapore’s past with augmented reality to bring the stories to life. Go on a self-guided tour or for a small fee ($4). Get a guide (we highly recommend this option) to take you through the gallery (this way they can cater the tour depending on your child’s age and sensitivities) as the gallery looks at the ravages of war as part of Singapore’s history (including a short film about the atrocities of the war and life under the Japanese through the eyes of a young girl which may be too much for younger viewers), the transformation from maritime emporium to a British colonial port, and the setbacks in fighting for sovereignty. A highlight in this exhibit is ‘Building Our Foundations’ at the Milestones section – kids and adults can pretend to be a reporter, recording themself reading key moments in Singapore’s development (you can even send yourself a copy of your fame to keep!)
When: Weekdays: 1pm to 6pm | Weekends, Public Holidays, and School Term Holidays: 11am to 8pm
How much: Free for Singaporeans and PRs; Non-Singaporeans adults/13yrs+: $10, 3-8 yr olds $8) book in advance here.

Moon-LIT! Gift Set: Why not pick up a Moon-LIT! Gift Set ($49.90) while you are celebrating all things Mid-Autumn Festival. These sets have been made in collaboration with the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS) and include a 2-piece traditional mooncake set, 2 packets of Chinese tea, Lantern Walk (Storytelling) for 1 family (up to 5 persons) and 2 Rabbit Lantern Crafts! Pre-order opens until 17 September 2021. Purchase it here!

Interested in finding out more about Mid-Autumn Festival and Singapore’s story in a fun hands-on way? Take the family over to the Singapore Discovery Centre for a full days’ worth of fun and learning!

Singapore Discovery Centre, 510 Upper Jurong Road, Singapore 638365, www.sdc.com.sg