Street party, carnival rides, food markets & more along Orchard Road for the ultimate Christmas experience

Last Christmas, you might have given your heart away (touché).

Whether or not you have someone special to give your heart to this year, you can celebrate the festive season with the annual Christmas light-up on Orchard Road.

Christmas on A Great Street, the signature year-end light-up of Orchard Road, returns this year for its 40th iteration with fun-filled festivities to celebrate the holidays with.

Visitors can look forward to not just one but three Christmas Villages filled with carnival rides and games, pop-up stores selling locally designed crafts and F&B kiosks to fill hungry stomachs with festive goodies.

In addition, the first-ever Christmas Eve street party along Orchard Road will see the stretch from Paterson junction to Bideford junction closed to traffic from 6pm onwards on Dec. 24 to house a lively street party from 8pm to 12:30am.

What’s Christmas without lights?

You might have already caught this year’s lights on display, or at least seen it in the news.

With warm LED lights of white, yellow, pink and turquoise cotton candy floating in the air, Orchard Road sports a dreamy look and feel.

This year’s theme captures a child’s imagination as one wanders through a cotton candy cloud dreamscape replete with Christmas trees and bells, as well as teddy bears, reindeer, and candy canes.

Three Great Christmas Villages

Not quite in the mood for Christmas yet?

Pay a visit to any one of the three Christmas markets along Orchard Road this year, and it might just put you in the mood for festivities.

Shaw House Urban Plaza

The first of the three Great Christmas villages commenced on Nov. 24.

It is located outside Shaw House Urban Plaza, which gives one a perfect date option to visit the village and catch a movie afterwards.

The hallmark of this village is the double-storey carousel and ferris wheel among its variety of rides and games, so be sure to look out for that.

Plaza Singapura

The Great Christmas Village at Plaza Singapura started on Dec. 1.

In partnership with Kiztopia, this venue features a giant event-themed bouncy castle with a slide, an enchanting lighted canopy, an insta-worthy balloon dome, and craft workshops.

There’s even mascot meet-and-greet activities during the weekends.

Ngee Ann City

Finally, the Great Christmas Village at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza just commenced yesterday, Dec. 8.

In addition to carnival games and rides such as the Euro Swing ride and an arcade, there’ll also be an array of food and beverage options via food trucks in the village.

Catch live performances by local buskers and bands such as Daniel Sid, LAYYI, The Cold Cut Duo and Waymakers on Friday and Saturday evenings from 7:15pm to 9:15pm.

To entertain the night owls among us, the Great Christmas Village at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza will also extend its opening hours till 12:30am on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

There will also be live performances at the New Year’s Eve Countdown Party from 8pm to 12:30am at the Great Christmas Village at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza.

Ring in 2024 with an exciting night filled with live performances by local bands Melissa & The Usual Suspects and Cold Cut Duo as we count down to the new year.

With the myriad of different attractions and activities, there is surely something for everyone.

Street party

Ready to party? You’re in for a treat.

This year, there will be a street party on Christmas Eve featuring performances by the NCC Command Band from Swiss Cottage Secondary School, dance performances and four DJs.

Fret not, there will also be Christmas carolling and Santa Meet & Greet sessions to heighten the festive atmosphere for the children.

Orchard Road will also house a last-minute gifting Christmas Market and loads of food trucks for that real festive experience.

At the eleventh hour, there will also be a Christmas countdown to properly usher in the special day.

Pop-up stores

Visitors can look out for brand pop-ups along the walkway from ION Orchard to Mandarin Gallery this festive season.

Among the pop-up stores, a collaboration between Geneco and Yellow Ribbon Bakery will debut exclusive cookies handcrafted by prison inmates.

Want free red velvet and almond cookies?

Visitors who vote for their favourite Inspirational Quotes of Hope at Geneco’s pop-up store will be gifted a bag of delicious cookies on Dec. 9, 10, 16 and 17.

Outdoor AR projections

This year’s augmented reality projection, in partnership with OUE Limited, is displayed on the façade of Hilton Singapore Orchard.

An immersive 3D experience can be enjoyed by viewing them through the PopAR Live app on your mobile phone. You can download the app here for IOS users and here for Android users.

Other AR displays can also be found on any of the glass panels lining the pedestrian walkway in front of ION Orchard to Mandarin Gallery.

All the outdoor visual projections will be up till New Year’s Day.

On Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, a countdown clock will help revellers mark the start of Christmas and the New Year.

Mastercard 12.12 deals

To round off the festivities, Mastercard will be offering exclusive deals on the Orchard Road x Shopee Christmas on A Great Street campaign page.

Perfect to buy yourself your friends and family Christmas presents from the comfort of your own home.

Get your holiday shopping started from more than 90 brands such as MUJI Singapore, METRO Singapore, OG and H&M on the Orchard Road Shopee page from now till Jan. 1, 2024.

Furthermore, enjoy up to S$50 off by redeeming exclusive vouchers for your purchases with Mastercard.

However, there are limited quantities of vouchers, so be sure to shop fast.

All Mastercard cardholders are eligible for this promotion.

This article is sponsored by Orchard Road Business Association and puts the writer in a very merry mood for the holidays.

Top photo via Orchard Road Business Association.