Dates: 13 Nov 2026 – 3 Jan 2027 · daily 3pm to 10pm; 24 Dec 3pm to 11.59pm
Christmas on A Great Street is Orchard Road’s festive season, and the 2026 programme is out. The street lights switch on at a ceremony on 17 November. Christmas villages open at Ngee Ann City from 13 November and Shaw House from 20 November. Seeing the lights is free; you pay only for games, food and pop-ups.
At a glance
Neighbourhood
Orchard Road, from ION Orchard to Shaw House
Best for
Families, couples, photographers and visitors in town for the holidays
Budget
Free to walk; carnival cards from S$35 at the Christmas villages
Time to allow
1.5 to 3 hours; a full evening on Christmas Eve
Nearest MRT
Orchard (NS22/TE14) or Somerset (NS23)
Good to know
Light-up 17 Nov, 7pm. Villages daily 3pm to 10pm. Street party 24 Dec, 8pm to 12.15am
Why go?
It’s the city’s biggest free Christmas walk: the decorations, the photo spots and the giant Merli on Shaw House cost nothing to see.
The Christmas village at Ngee Ann City has scheduled snowfall at 8pm and 9pm every night, which is easy to plan a family evening around.
The Christmas Eve street party closes a stretch of Orchard Road to traffic, with live music and a midnight countdown.
What to do
01 · Light-up night and the photo spots
The Community Chest Light-Up Ceremony is on Tuesday 17 November 2026 from 7pm at Shaw House Urban Plaza, run with the Orchard Road Business Association to raise funds for Community Chest. After that, follow the photo spots the organiser has named: an illuminated arch and a Golden Christmas Moment scene in front of ION Orchard, a mistletoe installation with Merli in front of Ngee Ann City, a Golden Christmas Tree at Mandarin Gallery and the Steps of Golden Joy at Shaw House. A 6.2-metre inflatable Merli in a Santa hat sits on the Shaw House facade from 17 November, lit from 6.30pm to 6.30am.
02 · The two Christmas villages
The Great Christmas Village by Kiztopia at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza runs from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, daily 3pm to 10pm, until 10.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays in December and until 1am on Christmas Eve. It has carnival games, claw and pinball machines, a Mastercard Train, a LEGO workshop, a Marvel Avengers Christmas tree and snowfall shows at the Hitachi Santa House at 8pm and 9pm daily, with live performances on weekend evenings. The second village, at Shaw House Urban Plaza, opens on 20 November with the same 3pm to 10pm hours. Games run on a carnival card: S$35 for 35 credits, S$50 for 70 or S$100 for 150 when you pay by Mastercard.
03 · The Christmas Eve street party
On Thursday 24 December, Orchard Road closes between Paterson Junction (ION Orchard) and Bideford Junction (Ngee Ann City) from 6pm to 2am. The party runs from 8pm to 12.15am, headlined by Benjamin Kheng and Maia Lee, with DJ sets, food trucks and Sleigh the Street! by *SCAPE (street dance, graffiti and circus acts). Benjamin Kheng’s set leads the countdown to Christmas. There’s also a nightly 3D projection show on the Hilton Singapore Orchard facade from 1 November, 7pm to 10pm, running until 12.30am on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
Plan your visit
Address
Orchard Road, Singapore. Villages at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza (391 Orchard Road) and Shaw House Urban Plaza (350 Orchard Road)
Opening hours
Lights from 17 Nov 2026 to 3 Jan 2027. Ngee Ann City village 13 Nov to 3 Jan, daily 3pm to 10pm (Fri and Sat in Dec until 10.30pm; 24 Dec until 1am). Shaw House village 20 Nov to 3 Jan, daily 3pm to 10pm (18, 19, 25, 26 Dec until 10.30pm; 24 Dec until 1am)
Getting there
Orchard MRT for ION Orchard and Ngee Ann City, Somerset MRT for the Mandarin Gallery end; Shaw House is a short walk from Orchard MRT
Tickets or booking
Free to walk and watch. Carnival games and rides use a paid carnival card; food and pop-ups are pay-as-you-go
Accessibility
Wide, flat pavements and underpasses with lifts. On Christmas Eve, the closed road gets very crowded after 10pm
Before you go
- For the snowfall, get to Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza by 7.45pm and stand near the Hitachi Santa House (our suggestion).
- On Christmas Eve, take the MRT. The road is closed from 6pm, and taxis and buses around Orchard will be diverted.
- Pair it with our Orchard Road guide and the Emerald Hill heritage walk for a daytime start before the lights come on.
Orchard Road at Christmas (earlier years)
Sources and disclosure
Information checked: 30 October 2026 · Christmas on A Great Street 2026 – Event Highlights (official) · Christmas on A Great Street 2026 – Great Christmas Village (official)
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors, used under the licences shown in each caption (images resized): ScribblingGeek (CC BY-SA 4.0); Blemi (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Disclosure: Not a firsthand visit. Dates, times, locations, performers, road closures and carnival card prices come from the Orchard Road Business Association’s official Christmas on A Great Street site, checked on 30 October 2026. Photos are freely licensed views of Orchard Road’s Christmas lights in earlier years, not of the 2026 decorations. We weren’t paid or hosted, and there are no affiliate links.