National Museum of Singapore‘s new exhibition, Once Upon a Tide, takes you on an immersive voyage of Singapore’s transformation – from Port to Powerhouse.
Once Upon a Tide at National Museum of Singapore
Set sail on a journey of rediscovery at Once Upon a Tide: Singapore’s Journey from Settlement to Global City, a new special exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore that celebrates the 60th anniversary of Singapore’s independence.
Opening on 24 May 2025, the exhibition will bring you on a voyage through Singapore’s maritime links, charting Singapore’s evolution over 700 years – from its humble beginnings to a global powerhouse of today.
The Museum itself is undergoing major renovation works, with its permanent galleries taking turns to be revamped. Thus, this exhibition can be considered as a “blockbuster”-tier production, as it would also be running for more than a year till Oct 2026. As it is free for Singaporeans and PRs, it’s worth a visit for sure. Give yourself at least an hour to go through the vast collection.
There are some 350 artefacts on display across 5 thematic chapters. Numerous interactive points in each section will chart your choices for the final exhibit – these are all enabled with an RFID wristband that you can pick up before entering the gallery.
Beginning with Chapter One: Always on the Map, you can walk under rolling digital waves and uncover artefacts that highlights Singapore’s historical roots and strategic location, through ancient objects and maps.
Sail through the Singapore River in Chapter Two: The River Road, and learn the importance of various industries that helped Singapore transform from its humble beginnings as a settlement.
The long corridor presents a lot of interesting artefacts showcasing Singapore’s vibrant and diverse past – from goods traded along the waters, tools used by the various industries, and even stereoviews that offer an old-school 3D view into history.
As you walk along the Singapore River, don’t miss your chance to row a boat at the Sampan Challenge – navigating the busy waters is certainly not easy in this interactive game!
The bustling, but simpler times along the river take a turn in Chapter Three: Expanding Horizons. Here, pivotal moments that paved the way for Singapore’s major transformation were showcased. All these efforts have reshaped Singapore’s coastlines and skyline, building the modern city we live in today.
One notable artefact is a 1970s Physiography Map of Singapore, from the then-Prime Minister’s Office.
The waters lead us from planning to people, that is, the people that have laid the foundation for Singapore’s development. Chapter Four – Flows of People pays tribute to the nation-building generation, through personal mementos, photos and even video interviews.
You’ll also about the migrants made their way to Singapore, forming its early multicultural population. Some were also the “essential workers” of that era. A gallery at the end juxtaposes the exhibits with more modern photos, showing how these roles have evolved.
In the late 19th Century, bricks were manually made with tools like this iron mould.
Chapter Five: Making Ways celebrates Singaporeans, businesses and organisations that have made their mark worldwide. From the fine arts, national athletes, local dishes, humanitarian efforts to global innovations, this section has an exciting, diverse collection of artefacts and stories.
Numerous athletes that have made Singapore proud were featured here, each with a unique display. The list includes: Yip Pin Xiu, Shanti Pereira, Maximilian Maeder, Loh Kean Yew, and Joseph Schooling.
Shown above beside Loh’s jersey: Margaret Leng Tan’s Toy Piano which she played at the Lincoln Center in 1994.
There is also a Singlish quiz to test your knowledge on our Singaporean language.
The journey concludes with one last interactive experience. Your responses at various points of the exhibition will transform into a personalised avatar. With that, you can contribute to an evolving digital mural that reflects an ever-evolving Singapore cityscape.
Children’s Season 2025 at National Museum of Singapore
The Children’s Season 2025 is also launching together with Once Upon a Tide, offering younger visitors another way of exploring Singapore’s history.
A handful of activities under the Get Curious! Building Our Singapore programme are located at the same level as the Once Upon a Tide exhibition – including this one where the young ones can dress up and take photos with the archival picture backdrop.
Over at the Level 1 of the Museum, the Our Mama Shop showcase offers a fun space to connect over some of Singapore’s uniquely local elements from the heartlands. This space was developed in collaboration with The Artground.
The artworks “on sale” at the Mama Shop were jointly created by pre-school students and seniors – creating an intergenerational art showcase.
You can also pick out an old-school game to play around the “void deck” area of the gallery.
Once Upon a Tide at National Museum of Singapore
24 May 2025 – 9 October 2026
Exhibition Gallery 1 and 2, Basement Level, National Museum of Singapore
Free admission for Singaporeans and Permanent Residents. Tickets are priced at $24 for tourists and non-Permanent Residents, with the concession rate at $18 (for students, seniors and persons with disabilities). HSBC cardholders are eligible to $6 discount for both rates, using HSBC cards for payment at the Museum.
Visit the National Museum of Singapore’s website for more details on the exhibition, programmes and ticketing details.
Childrens Season 2025: Get Curious! Building Our Singapore & Our Mama Shop
24 May – 29 June 2025
Various Locations at National Museum of Singapore
Free Admission, but some activities are ticketed. Visit the Children’s Season 2025 website for more details.
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