The public can visit the Istana on Nov. 12, from 8:30am to 6pm, to celebrate the festival.

This will be Istana's first open house under President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, The Straits Times reported on Nov. 8.

Musical performances by students

Entry to the Istana is free for Singapore citizens and permanent residents (PR).

Other visiting adults have to pay an entrance fee of S$10 per person, while children aged four to 12 will be charged S$2 to enter.

You can look forward to enjoying instrument, dance, and band performances by students from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, St Margaret’s School, Yishun Secondary School, and Bukit Timah Primary School.

There will also be activities such as henna art, candle-making, and balloon sculpting, as well as merchandise booths with limited edition souvenirs and a food truck.

Only cashless payments via credit or debit card, or QR codes will be accepted during the Istana open house.

All fees collected and proceeds from the entry tickets, tours, and merchandise booths will go towards the beneficiary agencies supported by President’s Challenge.

Guided tours

There will also be two types of guided tours open to all visitors.

Istana building

During the open house, visitors can go for guided tours of the main building, from 9:30am to 5pm.

You can view selected rooms and State Gifts that have been presented to Singapore's leaders.

Nature tour

The second tour is the guided nature tour of Istana's flora and fauna.

The tours run from 10am to 4pm.

If there is bad weather or overwhelming capacity, entry may be restricted.

The public can enter the Istana grounds via its main gate at Orchard Road. The nearest MRT station is Dhoby Ghaut MRT station.

Top image from Mr T Dan/Google Maps