Over 200,000 people gathered at 9 spots around S'pore to watch New Year's Day fireworks

Large crowds of people came together across nine spots in Singapore to welcome 2026 as fireworks lit up the sky.

The total number, including residents and tourists, exceeded 200,000, according to Shin Min Daily News.

The Kallang, which held a 35-minute fireworks show across four chapters, saw an audience that surpassed the previous year's crowd of 50,000 people, a spokesperson of The Kallang told Shin Min.

Apart from central areas, seven heartland neighbourhoods also hosted countdown events, attracting over 120,000 people.

Arrived hours early

By the evening of Dec. 31, Jubilee Bridge at Marina Bay was crowded, according to Shin Min.

Most of the people shared that they had been there since around 3 pm.

They were well prepared for the wait — they had laid out picnic mats of food and drinks, portable fans, foldable chairs, and power banks.

To pass the time, they chatted and played games with one another, creating a lively atmosphere.

A 37-year-old man said that he and his family had arrived as early as 1 pm to secure a spot.

Many of those who spoke to Shin Min were tourists, who said that they had flown to Singapore just to celebrate New Year's Day here.

A couple who came from Kenya said that Singapore had long been on their list of New Year's Day countdown fireworks they wanted to see.

Right after arriving in Singapore on the night of Dec. 31, they made their way to Marina Bay to fulfil their wish.

At The Kallang, crowds similarly began to grow from the middle of the afternoon, according to 8world.

A woman who arrived at 4:30 pm with her family told 8world it was their first time counting down to the new year outdoors.

They decided to go to The Kallang because it was less crowded and had a good atmosphere.

Crowd control

With thousands of people, there would inevitably be concerns about large crowds.

By 11:20 pm, the police had closed access to nine areas in Marina Bay for crowd control.

Then, just past 1 am, they updated that the crowd situation had eased, and all the areas were reopened to the public.

Nonetheless, a TikTok video of Marina Bay Sands at 1 am showed the outdoor area tightly packed with people.

While most rows could move slowly, a few appeared to be stuck in a standstill throughout the short video.

However, the slow movement did not dampen the mood among the people, and everyone made their way out in an orderly manner, according to Shin Min.

@gracelau2025 Now at the MBS##Singapore #GraceLauVisuals #mbs ♬ Goodbye 2025 (My Year in Review) - The Lyrical Lanterns

Those who stayed home did not miss out too much on the fun.

The online livestream of The Kallang's countdown concert, headlined by K-pop group Super Junior, had over 44,000 viewers, according to Shin Min.

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Top images from The Kallang and gracelau2025/TikTok