There are not many events in the Singapore civic district which transforms the night into the light. Come Light to Night Festival 2025, back for its 9th edition a mesmerizing annual event running from 17 January 2025 to 6 February 2025 in the Civic District and National Gallery area. The area is transformed into a vibrant hub of creativity. This year’s theme, “Do You See Me?”. It reflects on the diversity of identities and cultures within the community, offering an engaging experience for all visitors.
On some history, Light to Night was first launched in 2016 as part of Singapore Art Week, the festival has grown significantly over the years. Initially designed to make art accessible to the public, it now draws locals and tourists alike. The event tad showcases Singapore’s cultural richness through stunning light displays, thought-provoking art installations, and a mix of physical performances.
Walking into the Civic District, the area is lit by a mix of standalone art pieces as well as wall projections. Iconic landmarks like the National Gallery Singapore and Victoria Theatre are adorned with vivid light projections. Let’s check them out.
Light to Night Singapore 2025 light projections
Taking center stage will be a rotating animation of 3 pieces on the Façade of the National Gallery Singapore. You have the pieces “Perception of Beauty”, “Spirit of Resilience” and “Imprinted Memory” which loops about in a continuous manner.
Here, you can also find the Art X Social festival street and night food market offering live music through the night with bench seating along St Andrews road, which is closed to traffic.
Next up is the “Unsung Threads“ projection at the Asian Civilisations Museum. It is shown on the Extension Wing Façade by School of the Arts, Singapore (SOTA). Also, the projection tells the untold stories of coolies to hawkers who shaped Singapore’s history and contributed to its cultural richness.
Several projections within the neighborhood
Moreover, “Now You See Us?” located at the Arts House, Old Parliament, Façade explores the core idea behind graffiti. Through animated graffiti, the projection traces the evolution of Singapore’s graffiti scene through time. Starting from its underground roots, to mainstream acceptance and its future potential. I noticed the illuminated façades provide a striking contrast to the historic architecture, creating a unique blend of old and new.
Next up is “Words“ by Song-Ming Ang’s projected on the Victoria Theatre & Victoria Concert Hall Façade. It loops every half hourly from 9pm to 11:30am. It is an audio and visual spectacle depicted through a combination of text, visuals and sound. Also, the animated artwork employs abstraction as a means of manifesting emotion as it relentlessly reflects everyday concerns.
Moreover, the National Gallery is home to a number of exhibits too, more on that later. Wrapping up the projections is “kālacakra” by Kapilan Naidu. Also, the piece is also known as clock for progress at the at the National Gallery Rotunda Library & Archive. You can see your quiz piece projected on the ceiling of the Rotunda Library & Archive.
Also, it engages audiences through an interactive experience that blends personal reflection with collective memory. Here, you can participate in a quiz that generates unique artworks drawn from National Gallery Singapore’s archives. The interplay of light and movement draws attention to the complexities of time and space.
Art at the National Gallery
Furthermore, this year also marks the National Gallery’s 10th anniversary, where it touts to offer quite the arts offering during the Arts week. During this festive period, the National Gallery has extended opening hours till 1pm. Also, one of the standout attractions here this year is Han Sai Por’s “Travelling Through the Tropical Rainforest” at the Padang.
This installation features six colossal towering sculptural forms that resemble tropical palms. They stand tall against the city skyline. Also, the juxtaposition of natural forms with urban surroundings invites reflection on the relationship between nature and urban life.
Additionally, the festival also offers a range of live performances and activities, such as the Living room in the National Gallery. This inviting space touts to feature activities, craft workshops, artist talks and DJ sets by EATMEPOPTART. You can also explore the other Permanent galleries open till 11pm on festival nights.
Look up at the National Gallery
Furthermore, within the interior galleries of the National Gallery is an assortment of print and physical artworks. “Angin Cloud“ by Art Labor is one worthy of mention.
Moreover, the large art piece is a hanging assemblage of Jrai wood sculptures which tells the story of deforestation. Also, it hangs from the high ceiling of the Padang Atrium. It imagines the rural industrialisation of a hill side in Vietnam’s Central Highlands.
Nearby, you can find “Return to Paradise” by Beverley Ng, located in the Supreme Court Wing at level 1. Also, the piece explores various channels of personal expression in the form of collage.
Also, “Blades, Shrapnel” by Ang Song Nian is an installation that comprises of an assortment of grass cutters placed on the tiled stairwell atrium of the Padang Atrium Corridor. Here you can see five laser-emitting grass cutters activated through a series of public performances that simulate synchronised grass-cutting activities.
Next up is “Through the Looking Glass” by Claire Teo is an immersive, multi-sensory installation. It delves into the complex nature of human perception. Depicted by several tall standing towers sitting at the first basement of the National Gallery City Hall Wing within the Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium Foyer.
Wrapping up here is a ticketed exhibit by “Scarce City” by Elizabeth Mak from Rainshadow Studios. It is tad an immersive interactive experience Set within a stunning 3D-printed environment made from recycled plastic.
Street installations
Not everything from Light to night is centered about the Padang area. Light to Night offers a mix of street art works scattered about the city hall region beyond the Padang and National Gallery grounds. First off is the “Return to Paradise” (Play) by Beverley Ng.
Here, the walls of the Funan 2nd basement underground pedestrian linkway are decorated with video and picture scenes. Here, the artworks depicts sights and chill out areas of Singapore in the early 2000s. The display runs till 12.30am daily.
Moreover, other interactive art displays includes “A Little Bead of Work” by Kray Chen. Involving friendship bands, you can say this one inspired by swifties with the assembly of custom friendship bands at its core. You can find large metal pans on the Arts House at the Old Parliament, Outdoor Lawn housing glow-in-the-dark alphabet beads. Here, you can string together your own set of words on bracelets, exploring themes of visibility, identity and connection.
DIGikat Our Social Fabric
As a side fringe exhibit, the nearby Arts house Annex building here is also home to the DIGikat Our Social Fabric mini exhibition.
“We’ll Make Heaven a Place on Earth” by Arterly Obsessed is an exploratory exhibit located at Asian Civilisations Museum front green lawn. Flanked by the CDB skyline, this sculptural installation inspired by the timeless beauty of pagodas and the pursuit of spiritual connection. Here, you can look through a two-way mirror and an infinite reflection on the inside.
Moving on, near the City hall MRT entrance by St Andrew’s cathedral is the inconspicuous “In Transit: Reflections and Shadows” piece by Brandon Soo. It depicts today’s fast-paced world, where people often move through public spaces on autopilot lost in their phones or routines. Also, you can tell by how many people whizz through this area without noticing the lights of the artwork itself, which proves the point.
Other Street installations to check out Art Week
If you could not get enough of your art fix, there are several other miscellaneous and minor art installations you can check out in the vicinity complimented by the concurrent Singapore Arts Week. Some displays include quirky galleries and pop-up displays in commercial spaces.
Moreover, one noteworthy display at the Esplanade is the “Breath of the Land”. It is presented by Esplanade by artists Lim Soo Ngee, Yang Jie at Esplanade Concourse atrium. Tad an interactive engineering artwork contraption. Also, it translates noise into action you can make into a pipe, which activate fans to lift canvas windows.
Also, the basement of Funan mall is also home to the Creative Intersections 2025 – Snakes and Ladders. It is an art odyssey at Funan organised By Funan & Vertical Submarine paying homage to the incoming Chinese new year of the snake.
There are also few pop-up shop-style art displays at Peninsula Shopping Centre and Excelsior Shopping Centre. Interestingly, “Residency: Lai Yu Tong”, organised by dblspce at unit #02-20 Peninsula Shopping Centre along Coleman Street, features a messy artist workspace inside a shop unit. Also, going on that theme, the SHRUB POP-UP AT I_S_L_A_N_D_S at the basement 1 of Excelsior Shopping Centre is also another such pop-up display.
Wrapping up
Wrapping up, other ticketed exhibitions include Pagoda Odyssey 1915: From Shanghai to San Francisco at the Asian Civilisations Museum. It features a set of 84 hand-carved model pagodas for the first time in over a century from Shanghai. Also, notably, there are also several fringe Art Week events towards the outskirts towards the Bugis District, Fort Canning Green and Dhoby Ghaut Green, as well as a multi-sensorial installation at SMU Libraries and even art on Digital billboards at Wilkie Edge by Objectifs. Though these might be too far to explore at one go from the Padang.
Also, do note that some of the Singapore Art week displays could have wrong addresses like the one organised By ARTualize. It details “For the love of oil” by Low Hai Hong, where their published address at the rather deserted High Street Centre at North Bridge Road is different on their event map, sending many on a wild goose chase.
All in all, that wraps up our exploration of Light to Night Festival 2025 within the Padang and city hall district. You are good for exploring all the exhibits here in about 3-4 hours tops, which makes for quite an exploration on-foot from 7pm to say 11pm. The show has definitely grown to what it was last year’s Light to Night event in size. It is still a delightful celebration of creativity and inclusivity, with its ability to blend art, culture, and community engagement seamlessly. It is tad a must-see experience that showcases the city’s vibrant art scene in the heart of the Singapore Civic District.
