CNY is a time for gathering with friends and family, and having fun. We don’t blame you for thinking that CNY is a celebration for the older generation, but there are plenty of events going on around town where you can actually enjoy with your friends. Best part is that they’re free!
Chinatown CNY Celebration
This year’s CNY Bazaar is set up with millennials and Gen Zs in mind. Among its 440 stalls of traditional goodies and trinkets, the Festive Street Bazaar – which will happen until 1am on Chinese New Year’s Eve – has a YouthEats @ Temple Street section featuring unique foods.
Try the trendy Dragon’s Breath dessert ($6.50 – $7) at Smoke Out, and you’ll look like a smoking dragon – although you’ll have to blow on them before eating to avoid frostbite. They’re made of crunchy meringue cookies (in 8 flavours including Oreo, mango and chocolate) which are tossed in liquid nitrogen (at -196ºC). Cost: $6.50 (mixed cup) and $7 (one-flavour cup).
For more cold desserts, try Happy Rollie’s Thai Fried Ice Cream ($5) which you can eat with your bare hands. The vanilla base can be customised in various flavours, and topped with free rainbow rice! Not enough? Try their famous Watermelon Volcano (which was a hit at the last Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar): scoops of pink slush (condensed milk, syrup, ice and watermelon) and balls of watermelon served in a half watermelon ‘cup’.
Fill up with Shabu Burgers at Whats That Food, which are made using thinly-sliced meat ($5 for chicken, $6 for beef) doused in a secret (aren’t they all?) marinade – topped with caramelised onions and cheese or citrus herb sauce.
Take home some Black Charcoal Love Letters, a twist on traditional love letters made with black beans, or try some unusual nasi lemak- or pizza-flavoured cookies.
As cheesy as it sounds, this year’s festival will feature the ‘Huat Wall’ – designed in collaboration with 14 students from SUTD. Located at the Garden Bridge, this interactive display wall allows members of the public to send festive greetings. Want to send your own message? Head to chinatownfestivals.sg/huatgreetings.
No CNY festival is complete without lanterns, and as this year’s zodiac is the rooster, the event will feature a giant 12m-tall cock.
River HongBao
Taking place at the iconic Floating Platform @ Marina Bay and along the Esplanade Waterfront, this year’s event promises plenty of Instagram moments – in addition to ubiquitous lanterns, there are 30 amusement rides and carnival games to enjoy. There will also be a massive outdoor Food Street where you can chow down on goodies like churros, twist potatoes, and more. Happening from 26 January to 4 February 2017, drop by on Chinese New Year Eve, and you’ll get to witness a spectacular fireworks show to usher in the Year of the Rooster.
Huayi Festival
The Huayi Festival is a traditional and contemporary Chinese arts festival held at the Esplanade, with a number of arts performances that are free to attend. These include the thundering percussive performance of Boisterous Drums (3 Feb) performed by Nanyang Polytechnic Chinese Orchestra Percussion Ensemble; Poetry in Dance (6 Feb) which showcases the unique beauty and strength of classical, folk and contemporary Chinese dance on stage; and a We Are Singer-songwriters! series of concerts performed by local talents such as Quis, NEKO Highway, and Ng Meiting.
