Christmas Light-Up in Singapore 2017 Part 2 | Christmas Wonderland Everywhere


It’s a Christmas wonderland at every corner! (To borrow a word from this year’s Orchard Road Light-Up theme)
(Click here if you want to view the pictures in video form, with Christmas music!)


Shopping Malls

Velocity @ Novena Square

While not really a hotspot for Christmas decorations or photography, the setups at Velocity have always been pretty awesome. Was it last year that they had a skating rink? Or the year before that?

Anyhow, they are using the traditional Christmas wonderland/magic approach this time around. Being an old(er) fashion kind of guy, I have to say I like this very much. If only they have a carousel for adults!

Christmas Light-Up in Singapore 2017 - Velocity @ Novena Square
Carousels would forever be associated with Christmas festive fun and cheer.

Ang Mo Kio Hub

AMK Hub continues its practical approach to festive decorations from last year, by again using kiddie rides to grace its main entrance.

When lit up in the evening, these very effectively generate a festive and carnival feel, and in my case, managed to lure me into getting off the MRT for a closer look.

I’m assuming kids staying near AMK Hub would be pestering their parents to bring them to the rides throughout December! A smart marketing move, I must say. Kudos to the brains behind it.

Ang Mo Kio Hub Christmas 2017 Decorations.
View from Ang Mo Kio MRT Station platform level. It’s officially called the Jolly Jamboree Carnival, by the way.
AMK Hub Jolly Jamboree Carnival 2017
It was unfortunately drizzling when I was there.

Orchard Gateway

Orchard Gateway always prefers the unusual when it comes to festive light-ups and decorations. If I remember correctly, they had an under-the-sea theme last year. Further back, they had acrobatic zombies!

This Christmas, they are going the sci-fi route with Santa in a jetpack and colourful planets all around. (A Santanaut!) Truly something different amidst all the usual candy canes and snowmen.

An Extracelestial Christmas at Orchard Gateway.
The mall calls it An Extracelestial Christmas.
Orchard Gateway Space Reindeers
Space-faring reindeers!

The Centrepoint, Orchard Gateway’s neighbour across the road, is famous since the 80s for its fantastical year-end displays. This year, they adopted a completely different approach. Click here to see what’s their theme this Christmas!


Ngee Ann City

If you’re Singaporean or you’ve been living here for at least two years, you’d know massive Ngee Ann City has two Christmas traditions.

  • Huge Christmas tree at the heart of the ground floor atrium.
  • Festive fairs in basement two. Of which the trim shop would always be at the corner nearest to the credit card and insurance promoters.

Both tend to look the same every year. But each year, both also remain immensely popular. Is this the magic of Christmas or the potency of consistent marketing? A festive business question to chew on.

Ngee Ann City Christmas Tree 2017
I think most Singaporeans refer to this as the “Taka” Christmas tree.
Ngee Ann City Christmas Toy Fair.
It’s currently a toys fair. To me, this is the real Christmas wonderland for any kid. (Heck, I can easily loiter here for a full hour myself)

Tanglin Mall

Tanglin Mall has consistently been grand with its yearly decorations. If I’m not wrong, they were among the first malls to introduce the artificial snowfall spectacle. (Actually, were they the first?)

Their decorations also tend to be traditional. Cottages, Santa, gingerbread men and the likes of. Being in the quieter part of Orchard Road, I think these bring on a certain old-world romance. I personally always enjoy strolling past their displays on peaceful midweek nights.

Tanglin Mall Christmas Decoration 2017.
The entrance to Tanglin Mall’s Christmas wonderland.
Tanglin Mall Christmas Tree 2017.
A clockwork Christmas tree. Very creative.

By the way, there’s a great Italian cafe at Tanglin Mall. Check here to read about it.

Changi Airport Terminal 3

I can’t remember when it started but Changi Airport is nowadays one of the key places to head to for year-end cheer and decorations. With so much space, they could get really elaborate and huge with their setups, which by the way, they always do.

As for this year’s theme, it’s Changi’s Mythical Garden with Sanrio Characters, featuring everyone’s favourite cat with no expression. When I visited, there was a long queue waiting to ascend the centrepiece for photographs. Are you surprised if I tell you half of the people in the queue were selfie-eager adults and not squealing kids?

Christmas Celebration in Singapore 2017 - Changi Airport Terminal 3
The Mythical Garden Centrepiece at the heart of Changi Airport Terminal 3.
Sanrio Characters at Changi Airport T3.
Oh-so-adorable Sanrio characters. If there’s a real Christmas wonderland, I believe all residents would resemble them.
Changi's Mythical Garden with Sanrio Characters
Another view of the centrepiece. Those eggs remind me of Exeggcute. Pokémon, by the way, was last year’s decoration theme.
Changi Airport Terminal 2 Hello Kitty.
Hello Kitty himself, I mean HERSELF, is over at Terminal 2.




Orchard Road’s First Christmas Village at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza

Last but not least, the current showpiece of Orchard Road Christmas Light-Up 2017. The shopping stretch’s very first Christmas Village!

To be honest, after all the hype over it, I thought it looked a little drab in daytime. Why whitewashed sheds instead of Brothers Grimm cottages and the likes of?

The above said, these sheds take on a different feel the moment it gets dark. Together with the fairy lights and kids rides, there was a certain magical Christmas feel hanging about.

Orchard Road's First Christmas Village
My standard “before dark” intro pic.
Great Christmas Village Cottage Display.
One of the hut/sheds/cottages is set up to resemble a European home.
Ngee Ann City Christmas Village Kids Ride
Christmas village choo-choo train.
Snacks on sale at Orchard Road's First Christmas Village
Food … How could a festive fair in Singapore not have (lots of) food …
Beer Promotion at Orchard Road's First Christmas Village
Erm … beer. AND cider. (You know, I don’t think any stall was selling mead. They really should. While dressed up as, dwarves.)
Orchard Road's First Christmas Village at night.
The Christmas village after it gets dark. Looks much more Christmas-y, doesn’t it?
Ngee Ann City Christmas Performance.
What’s Christmas without music? And kids singing it?
Spinning cups at Orchard Road's First Christmas Village.
Vomit … I mean, spinning cups.
Ngee Ann City Christmas Event.
Large, free sitting dining area right in the middle. I.E. where the “village square” would be.
Great Christmas Village, Singapore.
Okay, this is eye-rolling to me, as a Singaporean. But given it’s Christmas season, I’m not going to explain why. Till the next part, Happy Countdown to Christmas!

Continue to Part 3: Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay!


Christmas Decorations in Singapore 2018.

Read my other Festive Celebrations in Singapore posts.

Summary
Christmas Light-Up in Singapore 2017 Part 2 | Christmas Wonderland Everywhere
Article Name
Christmas Light-Up in Singapore 2017 Part 2 | Christmas Wonderland Everywhere
Description
With December just a few days away, all major malls in Singapore are decked out in their festive finest. It’s a Christmas wonderland at every corner!
Author
Scribbling Geek
Scribbling Geekhttps://www.scribblinggeek.com
Geek, gamer, writer, movie lover, photographer, and occasional graphic artist. I like to consider myself a one-stop content creator of sorts. But the truth is, I obsess over too many hobbies.

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