Last Saturday, we had a bit of a respite from the hazy weather and spent a lovely time celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival at Gardens by the Bay. In fact, it’s the perfect place to hang out these days. If the PSI goes up suddenly, you can seek refuge in the Flower Dome and admire more than 10,000 pristine chrysanthemums in the latest floral display ‘Celebration of Chrysanthemums’.

There are more than 40 varieties of chrysanthemums on display, including magnificent spider chrysanthemums specially brought into Singapore for the very first time. The kids were especially fond of the small round blooms that reminded them of fishballs! Adding to the charming feel of a traditional Chinese garden are bonsai trees that are more than 100 years old and regal maple trees.

With the Mid-Autumn Festival Children’s Promotion, kids aged 12 and below who show up with a lantern at the ticketing counter between 5 and 9 pm from now until 4 October can redeem a free ticket to enter the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest on the same day. Make it a family outing and bring the grandparents too, because local senior citizens aged 60 and above can enter the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest for free while accompanying caretakers enjoy 50% off tickets. This SG50 Seniors Special is valid until 31 December.

If the PSI drops to a healthy level, then check out Mid-Autumn Festival @ Gardens by the Bay and marvel at the sight of 17 different lantern sets comprising 300 magnificent lanterns. There are lanterns shaped like plants and animals, the zodiac, dinosaurs, dragon boats, and even a majestic sea palace. The lanterns are handmade by master craftsmen from Sichuan, China and will be on display until 4 October.

Go on an empty stomach because there’s lots of yummy food for sale at the Food Street. We had Taiwan sausage, fried chicken, muah chee, spiral potato on a stick, and fried Oreo, all washed down with refreshing sugarcane juice.

Just a little tip for taking photos with the lanterns. If you’re not using the right type of flash, the background tends to look too bright and doesn’t bring out the warm glow of the lanterns. If you’re not using a flash at all, you’ll appear as a dark shadow in contrast with the brightness of the lantern. We make it a point to pose with our Zodiac lantern every year and we usually try to stand as close to the lantern as possible, turning our face and body towards the lantern so that we are lit up by the light of the lantern as well!

Every evening from 7 pm, there will be cultural performances at Supertree Grove put up by local music and cultural arts groups such as the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan Dance Theatre, Nam Hwa Opera, Dicapella Dizi Ensemble, Malay dance group Azpirasi, and Indian classical dance group Apsaras Arts. The performance schedule is available here. There will even be a fireworks display at Supertree Grove on 3 October at 8pm. Mid-Autumn Festival @ Gardens by the Bay provides both indoor and outdoor fun for the family, regardless of the air quality, so check it out while you can!

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Celebration of Chrysanthemums
Date: 24 September to 10 November
Time: 9 am to 9 pm
Details: Admission charges to Flower Dome apply, with special promotions for children and local senior citizens (read above)

Mid-Autumn Festival @ Gardens by the Bay
Date: 25 September to 4 October
Time: 7 pm to 11 pm
Details: Free entry