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Experiential and immersive learning take centre stage at Gardens by the Bay’s Children’s Festival 2023: Nature’s Imaginarium, as Supertree Grove is transformed into a supersized nature-inspired playground where kids can play amidst six larger-than-life flora and fauna installations.

Now into its ninth year, Gardens by the Bay’s Children’s Festival is a signature school holiday event. This year’s edition, which opened today and runs until June 25, has an emphasis on nurturing a curiosity about biodiversity and sustainability among the young.

Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing launched Children’s Festival 2023: Nature’s Imaginarium today. He was joined by 650 beneficiaries from TOUCH Community Services and The Salvation Army, who were the first children to experience the various activities.

Entry into the Children’s Festival 2023: Nature’s Imaginarium is free, with charges applying for selected activities and workshops.

Supersized flora and fauna playground and caterpillar train tour

In a first for Supertree Grove, children – and their parents – can slide into the area, as a flight of steps is transformed into a 20m-long slide. As children play amidst elephant ear figs, mushrooms, honeybees, kingfishers, a painted jezebel butterfly and poison dart frogs – the six flora and fauna installations based on plants and animals that can be found at Gardens by the Bay – they can learn how each contributes to the ecosystem in its own special way through colourful storyboards.

For a more in-depth experience, children can hop on a tour onboard a caterpillar train that will weave its way around the installations. This guided tour will provide more details about the function in nature of each flora and fauna installation.

Gardens by the Bay Assistant CEO May Yeo said, “Gardens by the Bay curates fun and educational activities for families each year for Children’s Festival, providing parents with the opportunity to bond with their children over play. Inspired by the popularity of our ongoing Nature and Sustainability tours for the public, we wanted to create something similar for children, with the intention of nurturing an appreciation of nature and an awareness of sustainability among the young. With this in mind, we’ve transformed the iconic Supertree Grove into a flora and fauna playground, complete with a kids-focused guided nature tour on an adorable caterpillar train.”

Under partnership with ITE, student volunteers lead the first caterpillar train tour on weekdays

In a collaboration with the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), 12 students from Nitec in Urban Greenery & Landscape and Higher Nitec in Landscape Management & Design courses will be leading the first tour of each weekday on board the caterpillar train. These students volunteer with Gardens by the Bay as part of their course, and leading tours is a platform for them to combine their horticultural learning with a front-facing role dealing with visitors, albeit little ones. After all, Gardens by the Bay is an attraction as much as it is a garden.

ITE’s involvement with Children’s Festival is an extension of an ongoing Memorandum of Understanding with Gardens by the Bay. As part of this partnership, students from horticulture-related courses have been coming to the Gardens on a regular basis for various learning opportunities, such as mangrove planting and monitoring of the blue carbon levels at Kingfisher Wetlands, as well as maintaining the landscape of the outdoor gardens. In addition, ITE students can also be attached to Gardens by the Bay on internship as well as under the Work-Study Diploma programme. Collectively, these opportunities provide them with additional exposure and practical, real-life work experiences.

ITE College East School of Engineering Director Alfred Tan said, "This partnership with Gardens by the Bay is a great opportunity for our Landscape student volunteers to impart their horticultural knowledge to visitors whom they will be leading on a tour during Gardens by the Bay's Children's Festival.  This would help build their confidence in public speaking and allow them to bring out their classroom knowledge into the real world for sharing."

Gardens by the Bay also has ongoing partnerships with the National Institute of Education (NIE) and Republic Polytechnic (RP). Under the partnership, students support the design of programmes and events, and help to develop content to raise awareness on nature, sustainability and climate change for various platforms.

Largest number of partners ever to provide more fun for everyone

For this year’s Children’s Festival, Gardens by the Bay is working with nine partners – the largest number ever – to provide families with an even wider range of activities when they visit.

These include:

• Dance workshops and activity circuits by Active Parents
• Meet-and-greet and live stage show with Bluey by CBeebies, BBC’s children’s television channel
• National Family Week celebrations by Families for Life, including a bouncy playground featuring its mascot, Becky Bunny
• Screening of children’s television programme Lil Wild by Mediacorp
• Art and Literary Street, comprising a roving art truck and a mobile library by National Gallery Singapore and National Library Board respectively
• SAFRA, who will be holding the latest edition of their Family Day Out event
• Kindsville @ Children’s Festival by Singapore Kindness Movement, where families can enjoy a range of activities, including catching Singa and the Kindness Cubbies live
• Touch Family Festival by TOUCH Community Services, with activity booths and stage performances.

Each weekend of Children’s Festival: Nature’s Imaginarium will also follow a specific theme, with the first being Family Weekend (June 10 and 11), followed by Pets Weekend (June 17 and 18) and finally Nature Weekend (June 24 and 25) to round up Children’s Festival.

During today’s launch, Minister Chan also tested the new Dino-topia augmented reality experience, which is developed by Gardens by the Bay in partnership with M1. With this app, children can go on an immersive journey to learn and appreciate the plants and eco-friendly features found at the Gardens. The experience will be rolled out at a later date.

Please refer to the Annex for more information on the activities at Children’s Festival: Nature’s Imaginarium.

Gardens by the Bay’s Rose Romance（玫瑰之恋）floral display, which opened today in Flower Dome, features more than 16,000 roses of over 70 varieties. Back for its fourth edition, this year’s Rose Romance is inspired by Puglia, an idyllic region in southern Italy famed for its quaint whitewashed hill towns, the beauty of its coastlines and a relaxed pace of life.

One of Puglia’s icons is the trulli, or the picturesque, traditional limestone houses with conical roofs that are located in the village of Alberobello. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the trulli of Alberobello feature in the floral display. Rose Romance is presented in collaboration with the Embassy of Italy in Singapore, and will be on until July 16.

Puglia is also popular internationally as a wedding destination. For the first time, Gardens by the Bay is collaborating with the Registry of Marriages (ROM) to offer couples an opportunity to hold their solemnisation at a section of a floral display. For the duration of the display, a pocket garden in Flower Dome will be transformed into a rose-filled, Puglian-inspired summer wedding setting for solemnisations arranged by ROM at selected timings on weekday mornings.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, and Second Minister for Finance and National Development Indranee Rajah launched Rose Romance today, alongside the Ambassador of Italy to Singapore and Brunei Darussalam H.E. Mario Andrea Vattani. Minister Indranee also extended her congratulations to the first couple to solemnise their marriage at Rose Romance.

Gardens by the Bay Assistant CEO May Yeo said, “As a People’s Garden, Gardens by the Bay provides Singaporeans with a beautiful verdant space to celebrate key moments in our lives, and our collaboration with ROM is but an extension of this. We are delighted to offer couples a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to say ‘I do’ amid a spectacular, rose-filled setting specially put together by our horticulturists, which we hope will be a wonderful memory they can look fondly back on through a long and happy union.”

Registrar of Marriages, Timothy Pak said, “The Registry of Marriages is happy to partner with Gardens by the Bay to host couples to solemnise their marriage at the exquisite Flower Dome against the backdrop of the Rose Romance floral display. Couples can also opt for the Ficus Room, nestled within the vibrant Active Garden. With these venues, we hope that couples can celebrate this special occasion and create beautiful memories with their loved ones at the floral display during this National Family Week celebrations, which is dedicated to honouring family ties.”

Ambassador of Italy to Singapore and Brunei Darussalam H.E. Mario Andrea Vattani said, “The Puglia event in Rose Romance is dedicated to one of the most beautiful regions of southern Italy, its territories rich with many UNESCO sites such as the famous trulli of Alberobello which will be displayed at Gardens by the Bay, but also other artistic and handcrafted creations, and of course the local food and wine excellences. The region is also famous for being a renowned wedding destination where lovers choose to take their vows against the backdrop of Puglia’s beautiful landscapes, in iconic rural estate buildings called ‘masserie’. We are delighted that Gardens by the Bay is collaborating with the Registry of Marriages to offer solemnisation sessions in Mediterranean Garden for the whole period of the Rose Romance event.”

When the pocket garden is not used for ROM solemnisations, it is open to the public.

Diverse rose forms and authentic performances from Italy

The hybrid tea rose may be the rose form that most people are familiar with, but there are also other less common and intriguing forms on show in the Rose Romance floral display. Some highlights include:

• Rosa ‘Golden Wings’ – a yellow single flower variety that looks little like a hybrid tea rose, yet most closely resembles the original form of roses before they were hybridised by breeders to produce the many varieties we see today
• Rosa ‘Iceburg’ – an award-winning rose with large clusters of medium-sized, rounded flowers with soft white petals, sometimes with a tinge of pale pink. It has a light, sweet fragrance
• Rosa ‘The Fairy’ – a dwarf shrub rose with many small, pink double-bloom flowers that are only about an inch wide

Amid a field of diverse – and sometimes fragrant – roses stands a heart-shaped topiary interspersed with more than 1,000 roses. In addition, plants such as snapdragons, delphiniums and digitalis in shades of blue and purple, complement the roses of the floral display, which are predominantly in shades of red, pink and white.

Visitors to Rose Romance can also experience a slice of one of Italy’s biggest music festivals La Notte della Taranta (Night of the Tarantula), which features Italian folk songs and dances of Salento in Puglia. Musicians and dancers of Orchestra Popolare la Notte della Taranta, who have flown in from Puglia, will perform in Flower Dome this weekend (June 3 and June 4).

There are also two social media contests where participants can stand a chance to win either beautiful rose bouquets, or return air tickets to Italy sponsored by Turkish Airlines.

Visit www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/roseromance for more details.

ROM solemnisations at Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay is ROM’s only official external solemnisation venue partner. Since November 2022, couples can choose to register to solemnise their marriage at Ficus Room in Active Garden. Active Garden is located within Gardens by the Bay’s Family Zone, which was jointly developed through a partnership between Families for Life, Gardens by the Bay and the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

Beginning June 6, Gardens by the Bay will be giving each couple who have registered with ROM to solemnise their marriage in Ficus Room, a complimentary pair of two-way Shuttle Service tickets from Bayfront Plaza or Flower Dome to Active Garden. Couples can present their ROM booking confirmation to Shuttle Service staff to redeem the tickets.

Please refer to the Annex for more information on:

• Rose varieties of note
• Italian performances and craft workshops
• Social media contests

Gardens by the Bay signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the UK’s Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew today. It will facilitate collaboration between the two institutions in the areas of staff exchange, cooperative scientific research, as well as the exchange of plant and research materials.

Gardens by the Bay is a national garden and premier horticultural attraction located in the heart of Singapore’s downtown. With a collection of more than 1.5 million plants from all over the world, it is renowned for its 18 groundbreaking vertical gardens known as Supertrees, as well as its two climate-controlled cooled conservatories, Cloud Forest and Flower Dome, which allow temperate plants to thrive in the tropics for all to enjoy.

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is respected internationally for its outstanding collections as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development. Kew Gardens is a top attraction for visitors to London and its wild botanic garden in Sussex, Wakehurst is also home to the Millennium Seed Bank. Kew has one overseas research base in Madagascar also.

The MOU – the first between the two institutions – was signed by Mr. Richard Deverell, Director of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and Mr. Felix Loh, CEO of Gardens by the Bay. Mr. Loh is in London with Gardens by the Bay’s Chairman Mr. Niam Chiang Meng and its Board of Directors, as part of a study trip to understand leading horticultural practices and keep abreast of the latest international garden trends. The delegation also visited the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show and iconic British gardens such as RHS Garden Wisley and Eden Project. 

As part of the MOU, there will be opportunities for staff exchange to increase understanding of plant species in both gardens, as well as the care of flora from all over the world. Such exchanges will also facilitate a wider understanding of the operational aspects of how these gardens are managed, as well as the research and development climate of each garden.

In addition, there will be opportunities for both parties to exchange plant germplasm, which are catered to tropical climate and climate-controlled greenhouses.

Gardens by the Bay CEO Mr. Loh said, “The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a renowned botanical institution, and we hope this partnership will open up new and exciting opportunities, particularly in Gardens by the Bay’s core mission of horticulture, conservation and environmental sustainability. These are areas that both gardens feel deeply passionate about, and that gardens of tomorrow play a key role in, to create a better and greener future.”

Mr. Deverell, Director of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew said, “We are a global institution with three sites – at Kew, Wakehurst and Madagascar – and our partnerships globally are critical to efforts to address the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.  We are thrilled to be working more closely with Gardens by the Bay in Singapore to ensure that we not only train the next generation of experts but also share knowledge and data in a productive way to support science and inform strong environmental policy for the future.”

In 2022, Gardens by the Bay joined more than 220 gardens in the UK and overseas to become a Partner Garden of the Royal Horticultural Society.

With long, pointed petals often in red and yellow, Tulipa acuminata bears little resemblance to the conventional cup-shaped tulip. Also known as the Fire Flame or Turkish Tulip, it is one of the three tulip varieties cultivated from native tulip species originating in Türkiye, that are a highlight of the ninth edition of Gardens by the Bay’s Tulipmania floral display. Such tulip varieties are a rare sight in this part of the world.

Opening today in Flower Dome, Tulipmania: Origins of the Tulip（梦幻郁金香：起源）features a Turkish theme for the first time in the well-loved floral display’s history. Held in collaboration with the Embassy of Türkiye in Singapore, the floral display is supported by Bloomberg. Tulips are native to Eastern Türkiye and were first cultivated by the Ottomans. The tulip is also the country’s national flower and interwoven into the country’s culture and history.

Senior Minister of State for National Development and Foreign Affairs Sim Ann, along with the Ambassador of Türkiye to Singapore H.E. Mehmet Burçin Gönenli launched Tulipmania: Origins of the Tulip by “setting off” hot air balloons in Flower Dome – a scene reminiscent of the region of Cappadocia’s landscape at sunrise.

SCDF officers from the Operation Lionheart contingent who were in Türkiye to aid in international rescue efforts after the earthquake in February also graced the launch and were hosted on a tour of the floral display.

Tulipmania: Origins of the Tulip runs until May 21.

Gardens by the Bay CEO Felix Loh said, “Gardens by the Bay’s Tulipmania, which began in 2013, has always been a popular display among our visitors. This year, for the first time ever, our horticulturists are featuring tulip varieties cultivated from native species of Türkiye, the centre of origin of these floral bulbs. To better understand their native growing conditions, our team travelled to beautiful Türkiye, to learn more about the history of tulips, as well as experience its rich heritage. We are grateful to our partners, the Turkish Embassy and Turkish Airlines for this collaboration.”

Ambassador of Türkiye to Singapore H.E. Mehmet Burçin Gönenli said, “As we mark the 100^th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Türkiye this year, we are particularly pleased to organise the Tulipmania floral display, featuring indigenous tulips from Türkiye, along with few cultural highlights from Istanbul and Cappadocia, in partnership with Gardens by the Bay. This exhibition provides a glimpse into Türkiye’s cultural and natural richness and diversity. At the same time, it constitutes a concrete expression of our willingness to deepen people-to-people bonds between our countries. Partnering with Gardens by the Bay in preparing the Tulipmania floral display has been a distinct privilege. We are truly grateful for their professionalism and solidarity.”

Thirty varieties of tulips of diverse colours and forms

Beyond the three unique tulip varieties whose ancestry can be traced back to native species in Türkiye, Tulipmania: Origins of the Tulip also showcases 27 other varieties of tulips with forms that people are more familiar with.

These include lily-flowered tulips (so called because their flowers resemble lilies) such as Tulipa Pretty Woman, which has bright red, goblet-shaped flowers with pointed petals; Tulipa Leo with its scarlet fringed petals; and Tulipa Grand Perfection, a cream coloured tulip with unique deep red feathering on its petals, a trait that was deliberately created by breeders to mimic the variegated pattern of broken coloured tulips, which itself was the result of a virus.

Making a debut this year are crown tulips, which like their name, can be easily identified by their elegant, crown-shaped flowers – a fortuitous genetic mutation of the conventional cup-shaped tulip that breeders later capitalised on.

Complementing the tulips are blooms native to Türkiye such as hyacinths and fritillarias.

The beautiful landscape of Türkiye recreated in Flower Dome

Some of Türkiye’s most beautiful landscapes from across the country have also been recreated for Tulipmania: Origins of the Tulip. These include:

●        Galata Tower – One of the oldest towers in the world and an icon in the city of Istanbul, it was first built as a watch tower during the Byzantine empire.

●        Safranbolu houses – These houses showcase traditional Ottoman civil architecture. In the floral display, visitors can step inside a house and experience what it is like to be inside an Ottoman-era home with Turkish mosaic lamps, kilim rugs and windows looking out to a view of tulips.

●        Library of Celsus – Located in Ephesus, an ancient Greek city located in present-day Western Türkiye, this is one of the last remaining great libraries from the Roman period.

●        Hot air balloons – Nine hot air balloons create a landscape reminiscent of the scenic Cappadocia region at sunrise. The 6m-tall one at the entrance of Flower Dome was specially created so that visitors can sit inside and enjoy a vantage point of the floral display below.

There will also be a curated exhibition of traditional Turkish art pieces in Flower Dome’s Mediterranean Garden, featuring art forms such as Iznik ceramics, copper works and kilim rugs, many of which are adorned with botanical motifs like tulips. These art pieces are on loan from the Turkish embassy and specially shipped from Türkiye.

Visitors can take part in a social media contest to win a pair of return air tickets to Istanbul, sponsored by Turkish Airlines. There will also be demonstrations of Ebru, the traditional art of paper marbling, and performances of the Kanun, a Turkish string instrument, by artists from Türkiye this evening as well as on Saturday, April 22.

Please refer to the Annex for more information on:

●        Tulip varieties of note

●        Turkish performances and craft workshops

●        Turkish Airlines social media contest

The launch of Gardens by the Bay’s annual Sakura floral display today was marked by a special visit by Sakura Afro Pikachu – the first time ever it is making an appearance outside of Japan.

This year’s Sakura, which is the eighth edition of the well-loved and iconic floral display in Flower Dome, was launched by Deputy Prime Minister (DPM)  and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies Heng Swee Keat. DPM Heng, together with the Ambassador of Japan to Singapore His Excellency Hiroshi Ishikawa and CEO of Gardens by the Bay Felix Loh, broke a traditional sake barrel to symbolise the official launch. DPM Heng also toured the floral display and engaged in a meet-and-greet session with Sakura Afro Pikachu.

Gardens by the Bay’s Senior Director of Conservatory Operations Gary Chua said, “The essence of cherry blossoms is in their fleeting beauty. Such ephemeral fragility is a reminder to everyone to slow down, take notice of our surroundings and cherish each moment. As such, the theme of Sakura this year is travel in Japan, where on a leisurely journey, visitors will enjoy picturesque sights of a Japanese landscape amidst cherry blossoms. We also wanted to explore showcasing cherry blossoms through different interpretations, from ikebana to the more traditional representation of trees in bloom. Coupled with an exciting line-up of Japanese-themed activities for the public, this year’s Sakura will be a beautiful, fun-filled experience as we strive to welcome both local and overseas visitors back to Gardens by the Bay.”

A scenic train journey across a Japanese landscape

This year’s floral display highlights the beauty of cherry blossoms through different interpretations, from using the cherry blossom in floral art, to the more traditional representation of cherry blossom trees.

Inspired by the theme of travel across scenic spots in Japan, visitors are taken on a sight-seeing trip through a changing landscape that features scenes such as a lake where animals associated with Japan like deer and cranes gather, as well as toy trains making their way across picturesque scenes dotted with cherry blossoms, torii gates and iconic Japanese landmarks such as Mount Fuji.

Along the journey, visitors will also see four ikebana pieces specially created for the Sakura floral display by Ikebana International Singapore (Chapter 135). With cherry blossoms as the main theme, the simple yet structured art form not only accentuates the delicateness of the blooms, but also evokes an air of elegance and traditional Japanese charm.

Visitors can also spot several first-generation Pokémon interspersed throughout the floral display – another highlight of their train journey.

The return of Japanese-themed public programmes

For the first time since the pandemic, Gardens by the Bay will be bringing back a series of public programmes to Flower Dome, to complement the Sakura floral display, and for visitors to experience and appreciate both Japanese traditional and popular culture. These activities will take place on selected weekends.

The public will have a chance to meet and greet Sakura Afro Pikachu up close. In addition, there will be dance performances put up by adorable Pikachu.

There will also be a myriad of cultural activities, such as ikebana workshops, traditional tea ceremony, mochi pounding, as well as folk dance and musical performances, organised in partnership with the Embassy of Japan in Singapore’s Japan Creative Centre.

Please refer to the Annex for the Japanese-themed public programmes of the Sakura floral display.

Visit www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/sakura for more details.

Close to 22,500 beneficiaries visited Gardens by the Bay under its Gift of Gardens community outreach initiative in 2022, which is about 74 per cent of the number of beneficiary visits in 2019, before the pandemic hit in 2020. With the lowering of Dorscon status from yellow to green and daily life returning to normal, Gardens by the Bay hopes to be able to welcome back even more beneficiaries to enjoy its cooled conservatories for free under Gift of Gardens.

Gift of Gardens provides complimentary access to Flower Dome and Cloud Forest for beneficiaries of social service agencies, and Singapore residents who may not have the resources to visit or are individuals with disabilities.

To date, more than 180,000 beneficiaries have visited Gardens by the Bay under Gift of Gardens since the initiative was launched in 2012. During the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, the average number of visits from beneficiaries per year dropped to 2,600.

Today, 33 beneficiaries from the Cerebral Palsy Alliance of Singapore (CPAS), accompanied by their caregivers, visited Cloud Forest, where they got to enjoy the ongoing Avatar: The Experience immersive exhibition. Avatar: The Experience is a collaboration between Singapore-based NEON, Disney Location-Based Experiences, and James Cameron and Jon Landau’s Lightstorm Entertainment. One of the highlights of the beneficiaries’ visit was the opportunity to interact with an animatronic mountain banshee and its baby at a special session organised just for them. The beneficiaries also visited Flower Dome.

One such beneficiary is Thimajit Singh, 32, who was excited to experience the alien environment of Pandora come to life at Cloud Forest. He said, “I love nature and the life-like creatures from the world of Avatar. I hope I can go on more trips like this to be part of the community and meet new people.”

CPAS Executive Director Latha Kutty said, “With the lowering of the Dorscon status from yellow to green, CPAS is looking forward to organise more outings and visits so our beneficiaries can experience and participate in a diversity of events and activities, with the help of donations from sponsors and corporate donors.”

Executive Chairman and Group CEO of NEON Global, Ron Tan said, “Through our collaboration with Gardens by the Bay’s Gift of Gardens, close to 2,000 beneficiaries have visited Avatar: The Experience since it opened at Cloud Forest in October last year. We hope to continue our outreach efforts and play our small part to give back to society. As a Singapore-based company, we are happy and heartened to be able to contribute to the community we live in.”

Visitors to Gardens by the Bay’s first floral display of the year can look forward to seeing a myriad of vibrant dahlias from Europe as part of the Gardens’ annual Chinese New Year floral display Dahlia Dreams (大丽花之梦), which opens today in Flower Dome. Dahlia Dreams will run until Feb 26.

Dahlia Dreams will feature close to 40 dahlia varieties from Europe, nurtured to bloom from tubers by the Gardens’ horticulturists, throughout the duration of the floral display, including large, dinnerplate dahlias of up to 25cm in diameter. Dinnerplate dahlia varieties displayed include:

·        Café Au Lait Rosé: a deep pink dahlia tinged with lavender hues

·        Kelvin Floodlight: a large, bright yellow dahlia

·        Holland Festival: a dahlia variety with double orange flowers with contrasting white tips

·        Striped Vulcan: a large dahlia with spiky yellow and red-striped blooms

These will be displayed alongside other popular Chinese New Year blooms such as azaleas, celosias, chrysanthemums, cymbidiums, guzmanias, marigolds, mandarin oranges, oncidiums, peach blossoms, and pussy willows.

With 百兔 (băi tù) or a hundred rabbits being a homonym of 白兔 (bái tù) or white rabbit, various incarnations of 100 bunnies – including cute figurines, rabbit-shaped lanterns and a 1.5m artistic sculpture made of driftwood – also frolic among the more than 2,000 colourful flowering plants to usher in the Year of the Rabbit.

The centrepiece of the floral display is a 6m tall River Hongbao lantern set of a majestic magnolia tree in the shape of the word 兔, or rabbit in Chinese. Part of a scene that re-imagines the Chinese idiom 狡兔三窟, which translates to the wily rabbit has three burrows, Gardens by the Bay’s horticulturists are leveraging on this idiom to convey how it takes creativity and innovation to overcome challenges and succeed, to create a better tomorrow.

An interpretation of the renowned Aesop’s fable The Hare and the Tortoise also plays out across various scenes in the floral display and in the spirit of togetherness, the two animals work together to win the race. Well-known aspects of Chinese culture, including paper-cutting, lion dance, Chinese New Year goodies and spring couplets, are also integrated throughout the floral display.

In addition to Dahlia Dreams, there will be a special Spring Blossoms (春暖花开) edition of the Garden Rhapsody light and sound show at Supertree Grove, where the lights of the Supertrees dance to well-loved Chinese New Year tunes from Jan 20 to Jan 29 at 7.45pm and 8.45pm. Visitors can also look forward to a new series of Chinese New Year-themed Get Crafty! workshops in Flower Dome, featuring card painting and keychain making. More details can be found in the Annex.

River Hongbao 2023 will also be returning to Gardens by the Bay from Jan 20 to Jan 28. As part of the celebrations, visitors can look forward to 30 giant lantern sets spread out across Supertree Grove and The Meadow, alongside amusement rides, carnival games and nightly performances. Visitors to River Hongbao 2023 can also look forward to the well-loved River Hongbao Food Street, which will be returning for the first time since the pandemic.