Falling on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, the Mid-Autumn Festival (also known widely as Mooncake Festival) is one of the most important festivals for Chinese communities around the world. A part of Singapore’s intangible cultural heritage, festive practices associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival include consuming mooncakes, lighting lanterns and appreciating the full moon.
Organised by Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, Wan Qing Mid-Autumn Festival is an annual Chinese cultural festival which invites the community to reflect on our shared heritage and come together in celebration of Chinese arts and culture. This year’s festival presents an exciting weekend of offerings suitable for the young and the young at heart, including heritage trails, mooncake tasting, lantern-making workshops, storytelling of Mid-Autumn tales, performances ranging from the traditional to the contemporary, and more. Join us at Wan Qing Mid-Autumn Festival on 22 and 23 September 2018 to learn more about the history and cultural significance of this widely celebrated festival!
The Memorial Hall’s thematic lantern installation also promises to make for great photo-moments under the stars. Featuring lanterns from across Southeast Asia, the festive installation celebrates Singapore’s chairmanship of ASEAN this year. The lantern installation will be on display from 1 September to 8 October 2018.
Activities are free unless otherwise stated.
Unveiling Singapore’s Largest Mooncake
(Supported by Kwong Cheong Thye)
Be a part of history in the making, as the Memorial Hall attempts to set a new record for the Largest Mooncake in Singapore! Join our partners and visitors in commemorating this historical moment as the Memorial Hall unveils Singapore’s first giant mooncake measuring a whopping 1.8 metres in diameter. Be sure to snap a photo with the record-breaking mooncake, and savour a piece of it!
The giant mooncake is Halal-certified.
Date: 22 September
Time: 6.00pm – 7.00pm
Admission: No registration required. Available on a first come, first served basis.
Snowskin Mooncake Workshop
Mid-Autumn Festival won’t be complete without mooncakes, which are Chinese pastries traditionally filled with a sweet lotus paste. Learn how to make this delicious festive delicacy and bring home some tasty treats for your family.
Date: 22 & 23 September
Time: 11.00am – 12.00pm
Admission: $10.00/pair. Register at peatix.com/user/1035460
Tea Appreciation Workshop
(Supported by Pek Sin Choon Pte Ltd & Lion City Nanyang Tea Society)
Enjoy aromatic Chinese tea and learn more about the delicate art of tea brewing and appreciation in this free workshop!
Date: 22 & 23 September
Time: 3.30pm – 5.00pm
Admission: No registration required. Available on a first come, first served basis.
Jade Rabbit Lantern Workshop
Complete your Mid-Autumn experience and have fun creating your very own Jade Rabbit Lantern! Express your creativity in this traditional craft session and bring your lantern to life.
Date: 22 September
Time: 1.30pm – 2.30pm
Admission: $10.00/pair. Register at peatix.com/user/1035460
Moon-gazing Binoculars Workshop
Get crafty and try your hand at making a pair of unique moon-gazing binoculars to admire the beauty of the full moon this Mid-Autumn Festival. If you look hard enough, you might see the moon goddess Chang’E and her loyal companion, the Jade Rabbit!
Date: 23 September
Time: 1.30pm – 2.30pm
Admission: $10.00/pair. Register at peatix.com/user/1035460
Fun with Lantern Riddles
Have fun guessing the riddles in this traditional game. Collect your activity passport at our Reception Desk and get a stamp when you get five answers correct, and stand a chance to win a mystery prize!
Date: 22 & 23 September
Time: 10.00am – 8.00pm
Admission: No registration required
Mooncake & Tea Tasting
(Supported by Kwong Cheong Thye & Pek Sin Choon Pte Ltd)
Savour a taste of tradition and sample our range of yummy mooncakes and aromatic Nanyang tea. Enjoy these festive delicacies as you learn more about Mid-Autumn Festival!
Date: 22 & 23 September
Time: 11.00am – 8.00pm
Admission: No registration required. Available on a first come, first served basis.
Miniature Lantern-making
Try your hand at this simple paper lantern craft activity, and bring home a Mid-Autumn souvenir. Collect your activity passport at our Reception Desk and get a stamp when you visit our booth, and stand a chance to win a free mystery prize!
Date: 22 & 23 September
Time: 11.00am – 8.00pm
Admission: No registration required
Bookmark Calligraphy
Fancy a personalised bookmark with Mid-Autumn themed sayings, or even your name on it? Collect your activity passport at our Reception Desk and get a stamp when you visit our booth, and stand a chance to win a mystery prize!
Date: 22 & 23 September
Time: 11.00am – 8.00pm
Admission: No registration required
Make Your Own Shrink Art
Have some fun at our drop-in sand shrink art workshop, and create colourful masterpieces using our adorable templates! Collect your activity passport at our Reception Desk and get a stamp when you visit our booth, and stand a chance to win a mystery prize!
Date: 22 September
Time: 2.00pm – 5.00pm
Admission: No registration required
Make Your Own Sun-catcher
Design your very own sun-catcher, adorned with stencils of mooncakes, lanterns, and the Jade Rabbit. Hold your final masterpiece up against the sun, and be amazed by the kaleidoscope of colours that shine through! Collect your activity passport at our Reception Desk and get a stamp when you visit our booth, and stand a chance to win a mystery prize!
Date: 23 September
Time: 2.00pm – 5.00pm
Admission: No registration required
Face Painting
Transform yourself into a delicate flower, fearsome tiger, or adorable bunny at the stroke of a brush. Collect your activity passport at our Reception Desk and get a stamp when you visit our booth, and stand a chance to win a mystery prize!
Date: 22 & 23 September
Time: 11.00am – 8.00pm
Admission: No registration required
Balestier Heritage & Food Trail
Embark on the Balestier Heritage & Food Trail to uncover the history of the precinct, while exploring heritage sites and sampling delicious local delights along the way!
Date: 22 & 23 September
Time: 10.30am – 12.00pm
Admission: $5.00 (includes bottled water and a traditional snack). Register at peatix.com/user/1035460. Available in English or Mandarin.
Permanent Galleries Guided Tour
Take a tour of the Memorial Hall’s permanent galleries and learn more about Dr Sun Yat Sen and Singapore’s role in the 1911 Revolution.
Date: 22 & 23 September
Time: 2.30pm – 3.30pm (Chi); 3.00pm – 4.00pm (Eng)
Admission: No registration required
Mid-Autumn Tales
(Supported by the Speak Good English Movement and Speak Mandarin Campaign)
Do you know why we eat mooncakes during Mid-Autumn Festival, or how the legend of Chang’E came to be? Explore the origins of Mid-Autumn Festival at this special interactive storytelling session and learn more about the connection between the Moon Goddess, Jade Rabbit, and our much-loved mooncakes! Each session will feature a different story and craft activity.
Date: 22 September
Time: 12.00pm – 1.00pm (Chi); 5.00pm – 6.00pm (Eng)
Date: 23 September
Time: 12.00pm – 1.00pm (Eng); 5.00pm – 6.00pm (Chi)
Admission: No registration required
Evening Concert
Experience wonder and delight in this dynamic showcase of cultural and contemporary arts! Grab a hammock or picnic mat, and enjoy a range of performances under the stars. Performances include dragon dance, kungfu tea, traditional lantern dance, quick-change, live music, drama production on the legend of Chang’E, and more!
Date: 22 & 23 September
Time: 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Admission: No registration required