16 (Mostly) Free Ways To Celebrate National Day Besides Watching NDP

In spite of the age-old grouses of high costs of living and our stressful education system, we are inherently proud and thankful to be Singaporean. And there’s something quite magical about gearing up to celebrate our nation’s birthday on 9 August.

Maybe it’s seeing all those Singapore flags adorning our kids’ schools and fluttering outside our home windows. 

Maybe it’s hearing Benjamin Kheng’s smooth vocals bringing life to this year’s uplifting National Day song.

Maybe for some of us, it’s attending the annual parade that’s the nation’s biggest and loudest military parade and musical extravaganza.

Maybe it’s all those National Day-themed promotions and events in the month of August, to celebrate our nation turning 59.

Whatever it is, you’re definitely not alone in that patriotic vibe, cos us too.

It’s not too late to keep riding the high of the lead-up to National Day come 9 August, and extending the celebration thereafter. Here are 16 awesome activities you can enjoy with your family to stay stronger together, and keep shining your light for the road ahead. 

The best part? Almost all of these are free. Happy, happy birthday, Singapore!

Free National Day events & things to do in Singapore

1. Sing along to National Day songs at SingNation 2024

3 August (Saturday)
Capitol Singapore Outdoor Plaza

Ever wanted to belt out your favourite National Day songs other than in the safety of your car or shower? Head down to Capitol Singapore Outdoor Plaza to join like-minded Singaporeans, local band The Passerby, and members of the Voices of Singapore choir on 3 August, at this year’s edition of SingNation. Flex your trivia chops and soak in the nostalgia of yesteryear with heartwarming stories before the spectacular fireworks from the nearby National Day Parade preview ends the evening on a dazzling note.

2. Vibe out at the Gardens by the Bay and Mediacorp National Day Concert

4 August (Sunday), 4.30pm to 9.30pm
The Meadow, Gardens by the Bay

If an evening of live music, family games, and fireworks sounds like your idea of a great party, you’ll want to head to the Meadow at Gardens by the Bay for the National Day Concert. Themed “Our Home, Our Heart, Our Singapore”, it’s a fab way for the entire fam to enjoy themselves, celebrate Singapore’s 59th, and appreciate all the good vibes of the occasion. Big plus if you’ve got a school kid who’s a fan of Benjamin Kheng and his newest National Day song, because you’ll get to hear him sing it live at this concert.

3. Thoroughly enjoy being a child at the National Museum of Singapore

9 August (Friday), 9.30am to midnight
National Museum of Singapore

Let the kids be kids while you relive your wonderful days of childhood at the National Museum of Singapore this National Day. Snap some fun photos with exhibits of old-school games like five stones and country erasers at The Good Old Games; A Light-Up Installation, check out the interactive Play:Date exhibit that celebrates toys, and jump right into the National Day fun with inflatable playgrounds featuring iconic HDB playgrounds, fun craft workshops, and a National Day-themed scavenger hunt. Check out the full schedule here.

4. Discover our ancestral heritage at the Asian Civilisations Museum National Day Open House

9 August (Friday), 1pm to 6.30pm
Asian Civilisations Museum

This National Day, visit the Asian Civilisations Museum to get in touch with the ancestral cultures of our forefathers even as we celebrate 59 years of Singapore, at the ACM National Day Open House. Let your kids burn off all their energy running among the outdoor installation and participating in fun, hands-on activities, before embarking on a museum tour with the entire family to appreciate the museum and its treasure trove of Asian artworks and artefacts.

5. Celebrate all things local at the Majulah Fiesta at the Singapore Sports Hub

9 to 11 August
Singapore Sports Hub

If one day of celebrations doesn't feel quite enough, check out the Majulah Fiesta at the Singapore Sports Hub this National Day weekend. Starting on 9 August, it’s a three-day party featuring local artisanal crafts, local music, and even local feathered friends for you to play with. On National Day itself, you can watch the live broadcast of the National Day Parade with fellow Singaporeans, catch the flag flypast, and the fireworks right in front of you. Groove the next two days away at the inaugural Majulah Music Hub on 10 August, which will feature an exciting line-up of local musicians including Benjamin Kheng; as well as the Majulah Fiesta Fitness Party which is suitable for people of all fitness levels on 11 August. Check out the full schedule here.

6. Have a picnic at a vantage spot to catch the fireworks

Let’s get real: for most kids, the fireworks are the best part of the entire National Day celebrations. The dazzling display of colours and lights shooting in the air in a fantastical array is quite frankly, mesmerising. Having a relaxing family picnic to enjoy the fireworks in your own bubble makes for a core-memory moment, in our opinion. For picnic spots, the Marina Barrage, Bay East Garden, Gardens by the Bay, Mount Faber Peak, and even East Coast Park offer spectacular views. We hear that the fireworks in this year’s show are scattered throughout the different segments, with a spectacular finale taking place anywhere from 8.10pm to 8.45pm.

7. Join in the party at the NDP 2024 Heartland Celebrations

10 August (Saturday), 4pm to 9pm
Five locations around Singapore

Feeling the NDP high after 9 August? You can still enjoy some of the festivities at the heartlands the day after, at the carnivalesque NDP@Heartlands that will have workshops, bouncy castles, fun food, and live performances. Parade crowd favourites like static displays of Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore Police Force (SPF), and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) vehicles and fireworks will be on show at Bishan, Punggol, Yishun, Paya Lebar, and Buona Vista. Pick up your tickets from your nearest community centre or community club from now till they run out.

8. Learn more about Singapore's history at the National Museum of Singapore

Take a deep dive into our history at the permanent Singapore History Gallery at the National Museum of Singapore to fully appreciate Singapore’s progress in the last 59 years and more. The hardships, hard work, and triumphs of our forefathers which have brought us here today are all on display at the exhibits through artefacts and interactive exhibits. Really, there’s no better time to set off on this rich journey through time and open our children’s eyes to just how far we’ve come over the years.

9. Admire some Singapore art at National Gallery Singapore

They say art is a repository of a culture from past to present, and we can totally see why. This National Day, head to the permanent collections of Singapore art at the NGS DBS Singapore Gallery, with paintings depicting snippets of daily life from Singapore’s past such as streetside hawkers selling their food, life along the Singapore river, and people striving to learn the Malay language in 1959. With more than 300 pieces of art altogether depicting a compelling narrative of Singapore from the 19th century till today, you will be taken on a visual trip down memory lane.

10. Visit the National Orchid Garden at the Botanic Gardens

You (and your child) probably already know that the Vanda Miss Joaquim is our national flower, but did you know that it can only be found in two places in Singapore? The first is at Miss Joaquim’s tombstone, and the second is at the National Orchid Garden. Other than seeing our national flower up close and personal, you can also admire more than 2,000 orchid hybrids and 1,000 species of orchids.

11. Go on a local food trail at hawker centres

Popiah, char kway teow, satay, roti john, laksa, rojak – the list of multicultural local delights runs pretty long, and that’s what we love most about our hawker fare. Take your fam out on a culinary adventure, chasing down your favourite dishes while researching about their history and variations. Grab some books about our hawker food from the library to read to your kids and check out our list of best hawker stalls around Singapore before making that hawker centre outing.

12. Read books by local authors

Books are windows and mirrors that show us and reflect what it means to live in Singapore and be Singaporean. In the lead up to National Day, open up the conversation at home with some wonderful local reads. There’s lots to choose from, for kids of all ages. From local retellings of fairytales, to books about everyday life and places in Singapore, to informative and humorous fact books about Singapore, and even young adult fantasy novels – you’ll have no lack of choices.

13. Learn a traditional art form and get in touch with your roots

Some of us learn best when doing something with our hands. How about registering for an art workshop where you can create some traditional local crafts to get in touch with our Singaporean heritage? Bring these aspects of our culture to life and right into your home with your created masterpieces, with activities like Peranakan beading, tingkat painting, batik painting, and even ang ku kueh workshops.

14. Attempt to make a local dish at home

You know what they say about cooking – if you like to eat it, you ought to learn how to cook it. Cooking up some local favourites this National Day is an excellent way for us to teach our children about traditions and culture. For example, making some char kway teow at home with the kids is a chance for us to explain how the dish was originally meant to be cheap and high in fat meant for manual labourers – merely comprising flat rice noodles fried in dark soya sauce, lard, eggs, and bean sprouts. It’s great fun for the family and as an added bonus, kids are a lot more willing to eat food that they cook themselves.

15. Play some homegrown card games

National Day is the perfect reason to try a new local game or two with the family. Teach your kids the beloved aspects of Singaporean culture with games like Kopi King, Hawker Wars, and Chope about our hawker culture; Durian Dash and Teabbles about our love for the king of fruit and bubble tea; and Singapore 1889 and The Singaporean Dream about our history and our future. These games with a local flavour are slowly but surely gaining popularity.

16. Have a movie marathon with our greatest local hits

Made-in-Singapore movies are not many, but the ones that are out there are gems in their own right in depicting and talking about unique aspects of Singapore culture. And there’s no better time to rediscover these movies than during the National Day season! Some titles you can start with are: I Not Stupid and its subsequent versions, and We Not Naughty are heartfelt movies that talk about the stresses kids face in schools; Homerun explores the bonds between siblings, and Taxi Taxi chronicles the humorous adventures of a taxi driver. Grab some old-school snacks and kueh, and settle in for a whole day of movie magic at home.