Please note that this is an overdue event

National Day Celebrations with the National Museum

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Spend your National Day at the museum to “Lepak (hang out) and Play” with us!

Celebrate Singapore's birthday with various activities such as outdoor and inflatable playgrounds featuring iconic local HDB playground designs, drop-in craft activities, intergenerational programmes and our popular scavenger hunt at the museum. Visit our Story of the Forest interactive digital art installation before it closes for good in October, and don't forget to check out Play:Date and reminisce about the joy of playing with toys as a child.

End the day with a “picnic under the stars” as you catch the live outdoor screening of the National Day Parade on the museum’s front lawn.

In the lead-up to National Day, look out for special light-up installations on our lawn that take us back to our childhood days.

Don’t forget to tag us on social media with #NationalDayatNMS!

The Good Old Games: A Light-Up Installation

01 Aug – 09 Aug
7.30pm – 12am daily
Outside the Museum

Do you remember the fun days of yesteryear spent playing outdoors and games with friends? For this year’s light-up installation, think back on simpler times and pose with some life-sized old-school games that we played when we were young(er). Invite your friends and family and reminisce about the joy of playing with chapteh, five stones, gasing (spinning tops) and country flag erasers!

Share your photos with us by tagging us on social media or include #NationalDayatNMS.

This installation will feature lights and some illumination, and visitors are encouraged to be careful at all times. For your safety, please do not remove or cross any barriers and heed all warning signs onsite. The museum will not be liable for any incidents that take place due to non-compliance with onsite safety measures.

Please note that lights for the installation will not be turned on in the event of inclement weather.

National Day Scavenger Hunt

09 Aug
10am – 5.30pm (closed from 12pm – 1pm, final registration by 5pm)
Registration/Redemption at Glass Atrium, Level 2

Register here

Free, pre-registration recommended

Discover more about Singapore by taking part in this fun activity as you search for answers around the museum. Complete the hunt with all correct answers and stand a chance to redeem a token from the museum, while stocks last.

This activity is suitable for all – family and friends or individuals!

Registration and redemption stations will be closed for lunch from 12pm – 1pm. This programme is supported by Khong Guan Biscuits and is suitable for participants aged 13 and above. Children aged 12 and below are welcome and must be accompanied by parents. The event is free, but we encourage you to pre-register via Peatix at the link above. Walk-in participation is subject to availability.

The Singapura Life by Sengkang Green Primary School

09 Aug
9.30am – 10.30 am (priority slot for persons with disabilities) | 10.30am – 4pm (public)
Glass Atrium, Level 2

Guided by friendly students from Sengkang Green Primary School, showcase your personality with activities about life in Singapore:

My Ethnic Costume
Our multiracial identity allows us to appreciate and celebrate different ethnicities. Dress your paper doll with a choice of costumes that represent Singapore’s major ethnicities. Assemble the doll and take it home to add personal touches to make your doll unique!

Postcard Giveaway
Food and play are shared Singaporean experiences regardless of one’s race or religion. Choose from 4 different postcard designs featuring our hawker food and games that we played with while growing up, and share your experiences with friendly students from Sengkang Green Primary School!

While stocks last. Each child is allowed ONE My Ethnic Costume template and ONE postcard to allow more children to participate in this activity.

While stocks last. This programme is supported by Sengkang Green Primary School and recommended for children aged 5 and above. The station will be closed for lunch from 12.30 – 1.30pm.

Design a Keychain

09 Aug
10am – 5.30pm (final entry by 4.45pm)
Outside Explore Room, Level 3

Use the unique technique of pouring paint to create your very own keychain!

While stocks last. This craft activity is suitable for participants aged 12 and above. Please note that this activity involves acrylic paint, so please adhere to the facilitator’s instructions. Only ONE keychain allowed per visitor to allow more participants for the activity.

My Dearest Friend: A Letter-Writing Activity

09 Aug
10am – 5.30pm
Get Curious Studio, Level 3

Get ready to unleash your creativity and reconnect through the art of letter writing at our upcoming drop-in activity! Join us for a casual and enjoyable session where you can craft heartfelt letters and messages to a loved one, friend or even to yourself, or simply enjoy the therapeutic act of putting pen to paper.

Seal your letters with wax seals and look forward to them being received approximately 6 months later!

While stocks last. Local postage only. This activity is suitable for participants aged 12 and above. There will be use of hot wax so please follow instructions onsite.

Craft Activity by STAEDTLER

09 Aug
9.30am – 10.30am (priority slot for persons with disabilities) | 10.30am – 5.30am (for public)
Various locations

In this craft activity, pen messages and personalise designs inspired by the nation’s birthday before folding your creation into a unique fan inspired by traditional round fans of the past.

While stocks last. This programme is supported by STAEDTLER and recommended for children aged 5 and above. Each child is allowed only ONE set of craft materials to allow more children to participate in the activity. The station will be closed for lunch from 12.30 – 1.30pm.

National Day Colouring Competition

09 Aug
10am – 1pm (Registration at 9.30am)
Gallery Theatre, Basement

Buy Now

Free with refundable deposit of $10 per participating child

Unleash your creativity in this colouring competition featuring our local icons!

This competition is open to 50 children, aged 6 to 13 years. Participants are encouraged to bring your own colouring materials (dry materials only, no paint allowed) or purchase a colouring pack at $5, while stocks last.

The programme and prizes are supported by STAEDTLER. Walk-ins allowed if spaces are available, however pre-event registration via the link above is highly encouraged to secure your spot due to the limited slots.

Outdoor Sustainable Play

09 Aug
9.30am – 11.30am
Front Lawn, Level 1

Do you recall using everyday items found at home or at the void deck to play with friends and family? Together with Chapter Zero, we are bringing back this popular programme to encourage imaginative play and sensory experience for the young ones.

Suitable for children ages 4 & up. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times and are encouraged to dress comfortably for outdoor playing. Programme will involve playing with water and grass. Please adhere to the instructions and directions of the facilitators onsite.

Inflatable Playgrounds

09 Aug
10am – 5pm
Bus Bay, Level 2

Bounce away on inflatable playgrounds featuring colourful and bright castles.

Suitable for children ages 6 & up. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. In the event of overwhelming response, playtime limits may be imposed to manage the crowd. Please adhere to instructions by the crew onsite. This programme is supported by Families for Life.

National Day Special: Experience Reunion Intergenerational Tour

09 Aug
9.30am – 11am
Reunion, Level 1

$25.60 for each grandparent-grandchild pair. $12.80 for each additional grandchild ticket. (has to be purchased with 1 initial grandparent-grandchild pair ticket)

Calling all grandparents and grandchildren!

Join our Care Facilitator volunteers on an inter-generational conversational tour of our galleries and discover Reunion, the museum’s social space for seniors. Engage with the museum’s handling objects in the activity area and look forward to creating your own digital exhibition at our Memory Lane immersive interactive experience. Light refreshments will be provided.

The tour is conversational in nature and allows participants to share their experiences and stories while exploring familiar items from the museum’s collection. The conversational tour is led by our museum’s Care Facilitator volunteers. Purchase your tickets via Peatix at the link above.

Community Art Mural Photo Booth

09 Aug
10am – 5.30pm
Gallery Theatre Foyer, Basement Level

Pose and snap a photo with the unique art mural at our outdoor staircase, painted by museum visitors as part of NMS’s Singapore HeritageFest 2024! Commemorate your visit to the museum this National Day, and don’t forget to share your digital photograph with us on social media with the hashtag #NationalDayatNMS.

Please expect longer waiting times during the peak periods from 11am – 12pm and 2pm – 4pm. Each person is allowed 1 printed photo. If you have a large group, you may be asked to return later to collect the prints.

Drum Performance

09 Aug
5pm – 5.20pm
Front Lawn, Level 1

Be sure to catch this heart-thumping performance just before the live telecast of the National Day Parade on our front lawn.

Writings on the Wall

09 Aug
10am – 7pm
Glass Atrium, Level 2

Share with us your thoughts on what is unique about Singapore and what the Singapore spirit means to you, and you might see your responses projected on the museum’s LED wall!

Live Telecast of National Day Parade