Orchard Road Christmas light-up to blend festive tradition with S'pore's national identity
Koh Ming Lun
The Straits Times
Oct 29, 2025
Visitors to Orchard Road's signature light-up this year can expect photo spots of nostalgic Singapore icons and a revamped Christmas village along the shopping belt.
Christmas on A Great Street heralds the holiday season from Nov 8 to Jan 1, 2026 will also mark Singapore's 60th year of independence.
A 3.1km stretch of Orchard Road from Tanglin to Dhoby Ghaut will be adorned with sparkling Christmas wreaths, ribbon swirls and festive lights, while featuring the SG60 logo and Singapore's mascot Merli, an illustration of the mythical Merlion.
This year's Christmas light-up blends festive tradition with Singapore's national identity, said Mr Mark Shaw, chairman of Orchard Road Business Association (Orba), at a media conference on Oct 29.
The festivities are expected to draw four to five million visitors.
They can take pictures at photo installations, including the iconic Toa Payoh Dragon Playground motif in front of Mandarin Gallery and a trishaw led by reindeer in front of Shaw House Urban Plaza.
Two other installations are a miniature version of the shopping belt's main arch with Merli in front of Ngee Ann City, and a giant festive wreath in front of Wisma Atria.
Visitors can enjoy a revamped Christmas village at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza, featuring a new Christmas carnival with four attractions and rides, festive food and beverage treats, and homegrown craft beer.
One highlight is a European-inspired Christmas market, which will be adorned with wooden cottages, traditional garlands, and iconic Christmas wreaths.
"Inspired by European traditions but infused with a local twist, the Village will showcase numerous F&B and retail brands, including an Instagrammable Hitachi Santa House for creating family photos and timeless memories," Mr Shaw said.
Returning to the Christmas village is the 14m tall Mastercard Christmas tree, and accompanying snowfall shows at 8pm and 9pm nightly. There will also be weekend live performances from Nov 15 to Jan 1, 2026, by performers such as Maia Lee, Rob Collins, and Emma Loh.
Another Christmas village will be held at Shaw House Urban Plaza with more carnival rides, games and photo spots. In 2024, both villages attracted more than 1.1 million visitors.
On Christmas Eve, revellers can join a street party, featuring live performances, a mascot parade, and food trucks and buskers, among others. Stretching 400m from ION Orchard to Ngee Ann City, the street party will begin from 8pm to 12.15 am.
A section of Orchard Road from Paterson Junction to Bideford Junction will be closed from 6pm on Dec 24 to 2am on Dec 25.
The Christmas Eve street party drew close to 300,000 revellers in 2024.
The light-up ceremony, co-organised by Orba and Community Chest in collaboration with SG Cares Giving Week, will be officiated by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Nov 8. The event will raise funds for more than 300 social service programmes and projects.
Orba will continue its effort to reduce waste by reusing some of last year's Christmas lights and donating lights to local animal therapy charity Equal. Charities and community groups interested in reusing last year's decorations can reach out to Orba.
Orba is also organising Christmas Village outings for senior citizens and open-top bus tours for healthcare workers and migrant workers.
Shoppers can look forward to a street bazaar pop-up from Nov 28 to 30 and Dec 26 to 28, and visit activity booths and watch daily performances and carolling from Dec 16 to 22.
On the facade of Hilton Singapore Orchard, a 100m tall multimedia projection, in partnership with OUE, will showcase three minutes of Christmas-themed content. And on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, there will be a one-minute countdown there.
The annual light-up, now into its 42nd year, is supported by the Singapore Tourism Board, Hitachi and Mastercard.
"In a time of global uncertainty and economic volatility, we hope that our annual tradition of welcoming the holiday season with goodwill, joy, and celebration, will lift spirits as the year draws to a close," said Mr Shaw.
