Gardens by the Bay updates: Avatar: The Experience, Garden Pod hotel, Seeing The Invisible exhibition

Check out the exciting new additions at Gardens by the Bay this season.

Avatar: The Experience (in Cloud Forest)

UPDATE: My Full Review and Photo Tour of AVATAR: The Experience is now available here.

Step into Pandora at Avatar: The Experience from 28 October 2022 till 30 June 2023 (Edit: Event run extended from previous announced 31 March 2023). This is the most extensive overlay ever done at Gardens by the Bay, and it is a high-profile collaboration between Cityneon Holdings, Disney Location-Based Experiences, and James Cameron and Jon Landaus’s Lightstorm Entertainment. Elements from the Avatar films will become part of the Cloud Forest’s iconic misty mountain, caverns, and foliage.

Avatar: The Experience will feature five distinct zones, and visitors can expect to see many mystical creatures and mysterious plants. Some spaces will be transformed into bioluminescent environments inspired by the 2009 Avatar film, and there will be a showcase of a new marine creature from the upcoming Avatar: The Way of Water movie (opening in December 2022).

Preparations to build the experience commenced in August, and many of display changes can be seen by any visitor exploring Cloud Forest. So here’s a sneak peek at what’s to come. Note: These photos depict scenes and props that are still in the works and should not reflect the final appearance with lighting and special effects.

According to the artist impression, upon stepping into Cloud Forest, visitors may see a Banshee right in front of iconic indoor waterfall, along with a glowing stone carving of the Tree of Life.

Artist Impression: Avatar TM & © 20th Century Studios

Artist Impression: Avatar TM & © 20th Century Studios

Moving around the Mountain, there will be more plants from Pandora (the World of Avatar) at the side of the mountain with the lush, flowing Kashmir Cypress (the long flowy plants in the background).

Some of the props are covered (they might be creatures from Avatar), while others are in plain sight:

The spiral Fiddlehead plant.

A pair of Vein Pods.

It’ll be interesting to see how these fantastical plants look like among all the real ones with lighting and effects.

The original installation at the Orchid Haven section has been removed to make way for another thematic zone.

After crossing the bridge, there are two tall structures. One appears to be a big creature, possibly Hammerhead Tianothere. While the other is a building of sorts.

If you take a closer look at the hoarding artwork, it depicts an adult holding a creature, which suggests that there could be a cast of characters roaming around the Cloud Forest as part of the experience – either for atmosphere/ interaction, or Meet and Greet experiences. Perhaps this ‘building’ will be a venue for an activity.

In the past, this area was used for temporary displays (orchids and LEGO plants for a while), along with some physical sculptures.

The Goblin Thistle is right before the queues to the lift lobby. There’s nothing added to the Lost World and Cloud Walk sections for now.

Inside the ‘Crystal Mountain’ area, there’s a Banshee display. which might be perched in flight to match the printed backdrop.

I suppose the stalagmites may be retained during the event as they somewhat resemble the floating mountains from Avatar.

Both the Cloud Forest Gallery and Theatre are closed for works. It’s possible that the indoor section, which showcases Ilu, the new marine creature, will be in one of these spaces. There is also an experience that will allow visitors to “fly their own banshee as it soars through the Hallelujah Mountains”, which sounds like a good fit in the Theatre.

Look at the equipment that will make all the magic happen.

There should be some flora “floating” (or hanging off the ceiling of the Cloud Forest) as well, but I didn’t manage to take pictures of that.

Changes to Gardens by the Bay Cloud Forest tickets

Avatar: The Experience in Cloud Forest is considered a special event, thus there will be changes to the tickets and admission policy. Please read carefully:

During the event period (27 Oct 2022 to 31 Mar 2023), standard tickets for Cloud Forest itself (or in a bundle with other Gardens attractions) purchased from authorised resellers and travel agencies are not valid for entry to the Cloud Forest and Avatar: The Experience. The only tickets that will be valid are “Cloud Forest featuring Avatar: The Experience” or “Avatar: The Experience”. Essentially, the admission ticket must state Avatar: The Experience.

Cloud Forest tickets that are bundled with other attractions will still be valid for entry for the other attractions, e.g. Flower Dome, Floral Fantasy, etc.

To summarise, if you wish to visit Cloud Forest from 28 Oct 2022 to 31 March 2023, you must buy tickets to Avatar: The Experience. You can get them now via Klook:

Use promo code ‘AVEARLY10’ for 10% off Avatar: The Experience Tickets from now till 28 Oct 2022!

What it means for Friends of the Gardens Members

For those with ‘Flower Dome only’ membership: You are not affected as your membership does not include Cloud Forest access. You can purchase tickets to Avatar: The Experience independently via Gardens directly or authorised ticketing partners. Currently, there are no promotions for members with ‘Flower Dome only’ membership.

For those with Cloud Forest included in their membership: Access to Cloud Forest will be suspended during the event period and replaced with admission to Floral Fantasy and complimentary Gardens shuttle service (during weekdays, excluding public holidays). Access to Flower Dome and OCBC Skyway are not affected.

Friends of the Gardens members with 1-Year, All-Days membership can purchase the Avatar: The Experience e-pass add-on ($15) for unlimited visits to Cloud Forest and Avatar: The Experience. This is a great deal because it’s nearly half the price of a single $27 ticket to Avatar: The Experience. The price is the same regardless of age group (adult/ child/ senior). Those with Family membership can buy the e-pass as a Family. Members can purchase the e-pass anytime from the Gardens app.

However, do note that your Friends of the Gardens membership will need to be valid for the e-pass to be valid as well. For example, if your pass expires on 31 Dec 2022, then your Avatar e-pass will also end on that day. If you wish to visit again in 2023, you will need to renew your Friends of the Gardens membership for the Cloud Forest and Avatar e-pass to be usable.

Garden Pod (Container Hotels at Gardens by the Bay)

Over at the Serene Garden, a quartet of duplex suites can now be booked for unique staycation experiences.

Those who attended the Chihuly in Bloom exhibition would have visited this part of the Gardens to view some spectacular glass sculptures then.

Visit Garden’s webpage for more information.

Seeing The Invisible – Augmented Reality (AR) Art Exhibition

Supertree Grove image for illustration only; there may or may not be an AR artwork here.

Gardens by the Bay is home to hundreds of unique sculptures on its grounds and within indoor attractions. From 12 October 2022, you can see more 12 artworks that are only viewable via augmented reality at the Gardens. The second season of Seeing the Invisible is coming to Gardens by the Bay.
More details will be announced later, but for now, you can visit the Seeing The Invisible website and download the app ahead of the 12 Oct launch.

Flower Dome’s upcoming Sunflower floral display

Hanging Gardens: Mexican Roots floral display is coming to an end this week. From 1 October, A Spanish Serenade with Sunflowers will fill the flower dome with the beloved yellow blooms.

Use my Klook link to buy tickets for Flower Dome and other attractions at Gardens by the Bay. For Avatar: The Experience, get your tickets here.

(Purchases made via this link will help support Dejiki.com at no extra cost to you)