Orchard Road Christmas Light-Up 2021: Expect AR Projections, Music & Virtual Tours!

Here’s what you can expect from the 2021 Orchard Road Christmas Light-Up!

Switching on the annual Orchard Road Christmas lights display is the most popular tradition Singapore has during the holiday season, and this year promises to be extra special after a long, difficult year. This year’s Christmas on a Great Street experience is all about celebrating a journey of hope and resilience, as businesses along Singapore’s most famous shopping strip hope for “a return to normalcy.” Themed as Christmas in Bloom, the 2021 Orchard Road Christmas Light-up will feature a range of immersive experiences that utilise Augmented Reality (AR) tech and key design elements that are inspired by the richness of the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

The decorations will also draw design cues from the interiors of ribbed vault architecture, which is believed to emit a feeling of being safe, particularly in the time of Covid. In addition to the colourful lights that are accented by red and rose gold poinsettias – this traditional Christmas flower symbolises purity and mirth – the countdown clock for Christmas Day and the New Year will be moved to a digital wall on the side of Mandarin Orchard Singapore hotel. The 2021 Orchard Road Christmas light-up officially kicks off on 13 November 2021 and will last for seven weeks until 2 January 2022 from 6:30pm onwards daily.

Want to know what else you’ll see? Scroll through our gallery for all the exciting highlights!

From 1 November 2021 to 2 January 2022, the side-wall of Mandarin Orchard Singapore will be transformed into a multimedia projection extravaganza and integrated Augmented Reality (AR) experience. The 3D projection mapping will showcase Merli and friends – SG’s tourism mascots – in starring roles, documenting their Christmas gift shopping, tree decoration activities and Christmas dining activities alongside TUDOR-themed content  (TUDOR is the official Christmas timekeeper this year).

Download the PopAR mobile app to enhance your viewing experience with immersive AR effects. The projection will be 10-minutes long and will run from 8pm to 10:30pm daily. If you visit Orchard Road on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, you’ll also get to see a special countdown segment with cool content followed by AR fireworks at midnight!

If you’ve missed hearing tunes in the open air when you’re out, then you’re going to love Music in the Air! From 1 November 2021, walk down the stretch between ION Orchard and Ngee Ann City to hear popular Christmas carols such as Silent Night. The carols will play daily between 5pm and 10.30pm and between 5pm and 12.30am on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

Travelling for Christmas? Enjoy Christmas on a Great Street virtually instead! Use your phone or computer to check out all the festivities from 19 November 2021 via a special microsite. You’ll get 360-degree views all throughout the 3.11-kilometre stretch from Tanglin Mall to Plaza Singapura. And since this year’s virtual tour showcase comes with AR integration, you’ll get to enjoy better video quality, enhanced interaction and sound. The icing on the cake? 10 different hotspots along the Orchard Road Christmas Light-up stretch will also have local buskers and musicians with a range of musical performances

Keep an eye out for special shopping deals, too, as Mastercard has pledged to donate $0.50 to the Singapore Children’s Society for every qualifying Mastercard transaction at the 11 participating malls from 13 November to 24 December 2021.

Another yearly highlight is the Community Chest Christmas on A Great Street Light–Up Ceremony. This year’s opening ceremony will be officiated by President Halimah Yacob, and you can tune in via Facebook Live on Community Chest’s Facebook page from 7pm to 8pm on 13 November 2021. This year’s event aims to raise awareness about mental health, with donations going to more than 100 social service agencies and 200 critical programmes that empower those with disabilities, special needs, families in need and at-risk youth.

For more updates, visit www.orchardroad.org