Singapore Garden Festival 2016 celebrates 10 years as the largest edition ever

More than 260 people joined hands to set Guinness World Record for world’s Largest floral chandelier

Singapore, 1 April 2016 – The much-anticipated premier international garden and flower event, Singapore Garden Festival (SGF), will return for its sixth edition from 23 to 31 July 2016, marking 10 years since it started in 2006. Set to be the largest SGF ever, the return of SGF 2016 was today announced by Minister for National Development, Mr Lawrence Wong, who helped to complete the world’s Largest floral chandelier – put together by more than 260 students, community gardeners, corporate volunteers and NParks staff over five days.

The world’s Largest floral chandelier, hanging from a height of 13m, measures about 17m by 10m. It is made from over 60,000 flowers, and will be displayed at Marina Square Atrium until 3 April 2016.

Today, SGF also launched the ‘Adopt-A-Plant’ initiative to encourage a love for gardening amongst Singaporeans, and inspire the community to co-create our City in a Garden. Between 1 April to 28 May 2016, more than 8,000 plants will be put up for adoption at Marina Square (1 Apr), Raffles Place Park (4 Apr), Orchard Fountain Corner (6 Apr), Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park (8 Apr) and Singapore Botanic Gardens (28 May). A variety of plant species will be distributed, including the Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii), Painted Net-leaf (Fittonia albivensis ‘Verschaffltii’) and Variegated Peperomia (Peperomia clusiifolia 'Jewelry'). Members of the public can enjoy a 20 per cent discount on tickets when they present the accompanying plant tags at ticket counters during show days at Gardens by the Bay.

SGF 2016 to be doubled in size, with more offerings for visitors

Over the nine days, visitors can look forward to taking in the best of tropical horticulture and floral artistry spread across 9.7 hectares at Gardens by the Bay – almost double the size of the 5-hectare showground in 2014. The Festival has expanded beyond The Meadow and onto Bayfront Plaza, in addition to the Orchid Extravaganza at the Flower Dome. There will also be nightly concerts and over 100 stalls offering food and beverages, plants, gardening and landscape products for sale outside the ticketed area – so that more visitors can experience SGF 2016.

Popular highlights from previous editions of the Festival will be returning this year, including the Landscape and Fantasy Gardens, Balcony Gardens, Floral Windows to the World and Gardeners’ Cup. Visitors can expect to see 72 masterpieces across competitive and non-competitive categories by international and local designers, community gardeners and floral enthusiasts. This is an increase from SGF 2014, where there were a total of 50 floral displays.   

Singapore Garden Festival 2016 celebrates international and local talent

Amongst the 33 international designers participating in the long-standing Landscape Garden, Fantasy Garden and Floral Windows to the World competitions, 24 will make their SGF debut this year. Internationally-acclaimed contestants returning to the biennial event include 2014 Gold and Best of Show winners Michael Petrie (Fantasy Garden), and Andrew Wilson and Gavin McWilliam (Landscape Garden).

Local participants include designers John Tan and Raymond Toh (Fantasy Garden), who clinched the Silver-Gilt award at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show 2015, and Ann Teo (Landscape Garden), recipient of the Outstanding Award of Excellence and two Gold Awards at the 2015 Singapore Landscape Architects Award.

For the first time in the event’s history, the Floral Windows to the World competition will identify its local participants via a public competition that will take place this weekend from 2 to 3 April. The top three displays will be invited to compete in SGF 2016 alongside international designers. Also taking place on 2 April, 16 public participants – comprising a mix of professionals and amateurs – will showcase their prowess in qualifying rounds for the Table-top Floral Display competition, themed “Wonderland”. The top six participants will go on to the finals at the Festival. The weekend competitions will take place at the Marina Square Atrium.

To further raise the profile of Singapore-based horticulture talents, this year’s Festival will also feature the Balcony Garden competition helmed by locals, Gardeners’ Cup by community gardeners, a Terrarium Exhibition, and a new Landscape Design Challenge – where teams of students will be tasked to transform an empty space into a garden within five hours.

Ticketing Details

From 15 April 2016, tickets for the floral and garden extravaganza can be purchased from Visitor Service Counters at Singapore Botanic Gardens, Ticketing Counters at Gardens by the Bay, www.singaporegardenfestival.com and www.gardensbythebay.com. Selected credit and membership card holders (eg. PAssion Card, NTUC Plus!, SAFRA Card) will enjoy 10-20% discount off local resident rates for SGF tickets. Tourists can also receive 10-20% discount off standard rates for Gardens by the Bay Conservatory tickets, in conjunction with selected boarding pass and travel promotions. 

SGF is jointly organised by NParks and Gardens by the Bay. For more information, please visit www.singaporegardenfestival.com or Facebook page www.facebook.com/SGGardenFest