Let’s take a walkthrough and exploration of the i-Light Singapore 2025 event currently illuminating the Marina Bay district for a 1-month period from May 29 to June 21. This year’s theme, “To Gather” celebrates community and sustainability. The festival features 17 new light art installations by 20 artists, both local and international. The event also marks Singapore’s 60th birthday, SG60 this year.
On some history, i-light started in 2010 by the Urban Redevelopment Authority and is still the main organiser of the event today. It began as a celebration of Marina Bay’s development. It has since evolved into one of Singapore staple sustainable light art festival, which typically runs at this mid-year time of the year.
Gimmicky, the event also aims to promote energy-efficient lighting and raise awareness about environmental sustainability through light art. The event through the years has expanded to sites beyond Marina Bay to include areas like South Beach, the Singapore River, and in this year the Raffles Place open lawn.
What’s new in 2025
So what’s New in 2025. On top of the staple location around the Marina Bay and promontory, this year’s edition introduces installations along the Singapore River and Raffles Place as new additions for the first time. Also, the festival also features a larger variety of interactive artworks that respond to movement and sound, more on that later. These additions aim to engage you more deeply and encourage reflection on communal experiences.
You can start your journey in a loop along the Singapore Marina Bay. Starting from the South beach area in reverse is one option if you are coming from the Suntec and Marina Square area, going in an anti-clockwise loop around and making your way to Raffles place before crossing over the Clifford pier over head bridge to the Marina Bay reservoir area. Alternatively, you can land right at Bayfront Marina Bay Sands (MBS) area right into the bulk of the exhibit highlights where 12 of the 17 light displays are located.
South beach installations
The South beach situated opposite Suntec City mall offers two separate light installations, and are quite the outlier. Also, you could start off here at South beach first where you can find the Saulux and This is not a Screen right here at the South Beach Avenue.
The Saulux at the South Beach Fountain Plaza is an immersive field of slender twigs embedded with sensors. As you move through, the twigs respond with bursts of light and sound, creating a dynamic and interactive landscape.
Also, This is not a Screen uses an array of polarised screens which you can rotate to you create different perspective of the light shown in the center. The display is a combined work of 5 local artists.
Singapore River and Raffles Place displays
Moreover, crossing over the Jubilee bridge from the Esplanade area along the Singapore river and new for this year are displays at the Cavenagh Bridge. Here sits Studio Toer installation from the Netherlands presenting Bridge of 1,000 Dreams.
Here, it comprises of thousand bamboo sticks hung from the bridge support glowing lit by UV light. It sits right in front of Fullerton Hotel, where we recently visited their hotel buffet Town restaurant.
Also, the hung sticks bears hand-written aspirations of children in our society. It invites you to reflect on collective aspirations through a visually captivating display. The display is sponsored by event sponsor UOB Bank as part of the anniversary celebrations.
Speaking of UOB, the exterior of the UOB plaza, the façade of the building is home to the Reverse Waterfall by UxU Studio (Taiwan). It comprises of animated LED tubes hand-arranged and animated to depict water flowing upwards, defying gravity.
Moreover, at Raffles Place Park is the Guardians inflatable sculptures display. The lantern-like lit sculptures are made from recycled materials, brought to you by Australian artists Matthew Aberline & The Beautiful and Useful Studio. It sits dwarfed by the skyscrapers in the vicinity. From here, you can cross over Collyer Quay road via the OUE link bridge towards the Fullerton Bay hotel towards the Marina bay area where the bulk of the displays reside.
Installations around the Marina Bay
Moving on highlights to explore includes an eye-catching display at the Marina Bay area. Here, you can find Sign by Vedel and de Wolf from the Netherlands with their impressive fire-like orange glow sticks. It animates like fiery embers dancing into the sky at the center of the Promontory. This light illusion is done with bamboo poles which are covered with reflective aluminium tape. Its does appear well framed with the Marina Bay skyline in the distance.
Furthermore, on interactive exhibits, the Elementary display by Tonoptik at the Clifford Square by the Fullerton Bay Hotel uses cameras to turn your movements into static on-screen images. It allows you to be portrayed on the other end of a cube with another participant.
Engaging light installations
Additionally, Take a Walk Through the Meadow with Me is a flower light display at the open grass patch beside the NTUC building. It features glowing flowers made from repurposed acrylic waste. Also, the flowers light up and emit gentle melodies upon sensing movement when you walk over the paved stone path. It creates an enchanting night forest experience.
In Tandem, Near The Promontory, In Tandem uses biometric sensors located inside an inflatable ball. It transforms your heartbeat into synchronized light and sound patterns on a glowing inflatable sphere lit by animated lights.
On interactive exhibits, the Vyyourself by Playmodes is also another quirky motion capture display. Here, your movements are played in loops projected on the facade of the entrance of Marina Bay Link Mall.
Spot the giant inflatable humans
Moreover, the Fantastic Planet’s lit white humanoid sculptures from Australian artist Amanda Parer sits at three spots here on the south west side of the Marina Bay. It aims to echo David Attenborough’s warnings about humanity’s overwhelming impact on Earth.
The first is a prone figure near the Promontory, followed by one on top of the Red Dot museum. Also, the last inflatable human sits in from of the Marina Bay event field area in a crawling position.
Join a human chain with other patrons
Furthermore, Embrace by Beamhacker (Australia) at the MBS Event Square is inspired by children’s paper chain. Coupled with a musical score by Peter McAvan (PTMC), here you can team up with other visitors forming a continuous human chain by touching the touch-sensitive pads on the hands of each stick figure. Doing so would change the colour of the entire circle.
Moreover, the Pontoon near Red Dot Design Museum is out of bounds this year, and is home to the Urban Oracle message board. Brought to you by Ultravioletto from Italy, you activate the text via three console buttons on the broadwalk area. Rotating between few animated text and light sequences.
At point of publishing, the Piano Walk is not yet installed at the Marina Bay Sands Event Space. This Piano Walk touts to features a pathway themed as a larger than life circular piano activated by footsteps. It blends music and movement. This part will be updated when we give the area a revisit.
(Updated 5 Jun) Brought to you by Amigo & Amigo (Australia), the Piano Walk is a lit path requires you to walk or hop onto the piano key path to play and continue a melody. It plays an original composition by John McHugh (Otis Studio) every ten minutes.
Wrapping up
Wrapping up the last of the entire i-lights displays is the Mozart situated on the Helix Bridge steps. This motion activated installation resembles a glowing orb placed on the step. Each step you take on the stairs functions as a piano key. It lights up and produces sound as you walk, allowing you to compose your own melody. Though on my visit, you can see the light, but can’t really hear the sounds.
Lastly, a staple of every i-light are fringe activities such as the annual GastroBeats festival grounds. It offers a range of food, beer options and live music performances. The event this year has art direction brought to you by our local alien mascot Jelilo.
Also, there is the Campfyre @ Nomads Pop-Up at the Promontory grass patch too. It offers tad a relaxing spot with camping chairs and draped hanging lights where you can unwind under the glow of nearby installations.
All in all, that wraps up our exploration of i-light 2025 at the Marina Bay area and Raffles place. You are good to explore all installations in about 2-3 hours tops, with a walkable distance totaling about 6-7km. Notably, i-lights is one of the many night-related festivals running throughout the annual calendar, with Night for light and the Singapore Night festival being other staple events here in the civic district. Till June 21, the festival runs daily from 7:30pm to 11:00pm, with extended hours until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
