New Year's Day in Singapore

Dates

History & significance

New Year's Day marks 1 January, the first day of the Gregorian calendar and one of Singapore's fixed-date public holidays. It is a secular holiday observed across all communities and closes the year-end festive season that opens with Christmas. Because the date is fixed, the day of the week shifts each year; when 1 January falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is granted as a public holiday in lieu under the Holidays Act.

How it’s observed in Singapore

The main event is the night before. Marina Bay hosts Singapore's flagship countdown, with a midnight fireworks display over the bay and live performances along the waterfront — the Promontory, Esplanade waterfront and Helix Bridge are popular free vantage points that fill up early, and Sentosa runs its own beach countdown. On the day itself most people rest and recover, with brunch spots and malls busy from late morning.

What's open and what's closed

Government offices, banks and most clinics are closed, and schools are on their year-end break. Malls, supermarkets, restaurants and attractions stay open, though some keep shorter public-holiday hours. MRT and buses run to a public-holiday timetable, extended late into the small hours on New Year's Eve to move the countdown crowds. Hawker centres are open but many individual stalls take the day off.

Common questions