Gardens by the Bay returns with its ninth edition of the well-loved Mid-Autumn Festival

Gardens By The Bay kicked off its annual Mid-Autumn Festival with a spectacular light-up of the lantern set, Sky Lanterns, on Wednesday (Sep 15). 

At 32m wide and 19m tall, Sky Lanterns welcomed visitors with its stunning display of 70 lanterns floating up the Supertrees at the Gardens’ main entrance. Inspired by the Chinese tradition of lanterns being released to the sky in hopes of good blessings, Sky Lanterns represents the theme of this year’s festival – blessings.

Rabbits feature prominently in this year’s festival. Look out for Rabbits Trail, a series of eight rabbit-shaped lanterns, as you make your way to Flower Dome. After all, rabbits are often associated with filial piety and selflessness in Chinese culture.

At the Flower Dome, visitors will see Rabbits’ Forest, inspired by the ancient Chinese folk game Blessings Upon the One who Meets a Rabbit, in which the first person to find a rabbit in the osmanthus forest is said to receive good blessings.

Over at Miffy Gardens, visitors can get up close and personal with Miffy through the special meet and greet sessions. However, admission is only for fully vaccinated visitors, visitors with negative PET results within 24 hours before the end of the performance or session, or visitors with proof of recovery from COVID-19.

Just outside Flower Dome is the Korean Genre Painting, a hybrid lantern set where digitalised paintings by traditional Korean artists Kim Hong-do and Kim Jun-geun are set against the backdrop of two hanok (traditional Korean house) lantern frames. 

Beyond lanterns, there are also community displays such as Origami Crane Trees and Colonnade Of Lights, both of which involve handmade works by individuals from social service agencies and Gardens by the Bay volunteers.

The Mid-Autumn Festival 2021 at Gardens by the Bay will run from Sep 15 until Oct 3.

Children aged 12 and below enjoy free entry to Flower Dome from today until Oct 3. Tickets for children must be pre-booked from Gardens by the Bay’s website or mobile app, and a valid student card is required for proof of identity before entry.