Singapore’s National Day celebrations are taking over the National Museum of Singapore this August, with a programme that brings together familiar legends, creative activities, live performances and stories from the communities that have shaped the country.
Centred on the theme “Myths, Legends & the Stories That Made Us”, the museum’s National Day line-up invites visitors of all ages to rediscover Singapore through founding stories, living traditions and different perspectives on what it means to call the city home. For families looking for something meaningful to do over the National Day weekend, here are some of the highlights to look out for.
Spend National Day at the museum
On 9 August 2026, the National Museum will host a full day of free and ticketed programmes, including a children’s colouring competition, immersive storytelling inspired by the legend of Sang Nila Utama, workshops, drop-in craft activities and a museum-wide heritage hunt. The celebrations will continue into the evening with live performances by local acts, followed by a free live telecast of the National Day Parade on the museum’s Front Lawn.
It could make for a particularly easy family day out, with activities spread across different formats rather than a single sit-down programme.
Enjoy free admission to the galleries on 9 August
Another reason to visit on National Day is that admission to all galleries will be free on 9 August. This includes Singapore Odyssea: A Journey Through Time, the museum’s immersive installation at the Shaw Foundation Glass Rotunda, as well as the special exhibition Once Upon a Tide: Singapore’s Journey from Settlement to Global City, which runs until 9 October 2026.
So even if you have visited the museum before, National Day offers an opportunity to combine the special programmes with some of its current exhibitions.
Watch the National Museum facade turn into a living storybook
The celebrations are not limited to 9 August. From 1 to 12 August, the museum will also be part of the wider Bras Basah.Bugis precinct’s National Day celebrations with Voyage of Icons, a projection mapping work by visual artist Howie Kim. Presented with HeritageSG as part of Light Together BBB 2026, the work transforms the National Museum’s facade into what the museum describes as a “living storybook” each evening. Across five chapters, the projection traces a journey from the legend of Sang Nila Utama to an imagined vision of Singapore’s future.
It is one of the more visually striking additions to this year’s programme and offers visitors another way to experience Singapore’s stories outside the museum galleries.
See Singapore through the eyes of migrant workers
One of the most significant elements of this year’s celebrations is the arrival of the Migrant Workers Photography Festival (MWPF) at the National Museum for the first time. The photography exhibition Our Favourite Haunts: Through the Lens of Migrant Workers is part of the fourth edition of the biennial festival, which showcases the creative work and perspectives of Singapore’s migrant community.
Playing on the two meanings of the word “haunt”, the exhibition features photographs by selected competition finalists, ranging from scenes exploring community and belonging to more otherworldly portraits. Winners of the Series and Singles categories were scheduled to be announced at the festival’s opening ceremony on 2 August, with the exhibition continuing until 13 September 2026.
The collaboration also encourages visitors to experience familiar parts of Singapore through different perspectives, particularly those of the migrant workers who live and work here. At the showcase, migrant worker visitors can also collect postcards carrying handwritten notes of appreciation from members of the public. The postcards come from a special “Thank You” corner connected to the Once Upon a Tide exhibition and feature photographs from MWPF editions held between 2019 and 2024.
A celebration built around the stories of Singapore
This year’s National Day programme takes a slightly different approach to celebrating Singapore’s 61st year of independence. Rather than focusing only on familiar patriotic imagery, the National Museum is using myths, memories, photography, performance and shared spaces to explore how Singapore’s identity has developed across generations and communities.
As National Museum of Singapore Director Chung May Khuen shared, the celebrations are intended to recognise the many communities that have contributed to Singapore and create a space where people can connect through the stories and memories that bind them. For families, culture lovers or anyone looking for a different way to spend National Day, it is shaping up to be a full day of storytelling, art, activities and celebration right in the heart of the city.
- When: National Day programmes on 9 August 2026, with Voyage of Icons running from 1 to 12 August and Our Favourite Haunts: Through the Lens of Migrant Workers running until 13 September 2026.
- Where: National Museum of Singapore
- Admission: Free admission to all museum galleries on 9 August 2026. Individual National Day programmes may be free or ticketed.
Find out more at https://www.nationalmuseum.nhb.gov.sg/national-day-open-house-2026/events.
