Singapore Odyssea at National Museum of Singapore – Experience Singapore’s Past, Present and Future

National Museum of Singapore unveils Singapore Odyssea: A Journey Through Time at the Museum’s reopened Shaw Foundation Glass Rotunda.

Singapore Odyssea at National Museum of Singapore

The iconic Glass Rotunda at the National Museum of Singapore is set to dazzle again with a new immersive exhibition. Opening on 8 August 2025, Singapore Odyssea will bring you on a multi-sensorial journey through Singapore’s 700 years of history, from the future to the past. It is designed as a prelude to the Museum’s Singapore History Gallery, where actual historical artefacts are exhibited.

The previous work in the Glass Rotunda, Story of the Forest (2016-2024), was developed by teamLab – a studio known for its interactive and surreal immersive art. It featured animals from the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings. Singapore Odyssea also references Singapore’s rich history at a much deeper level, and it’s great to learn that the new experience is designed by local creatives. With projections and interactive multimedia, the new exhibition also evokes a familiar sense of wonder as walking through a digital forest – this time as a voyage through time, and further enhanced with a “magical companion” that follows visitors as they time travel.

The Singapore Odyssea experience should take about 15-25 minutes, following which you could also explore Once Upon A Tide, another interactive exhibition that opened early this year.

Get your tickets to Singapore Odyssea at National Museum of Singapore

Admission to Singapore Odyssea is by timed entry to ensure visitors can enjoy the full experience comfortably. Please secure your preferred time slot when you book your tickets on Klook or the Museum’s ticketing site.

Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents can enjoy free admission, but booking of timeslots is still required at the Museum’s reservation website. Please make a booking before visiting the museum to avoid disappointment.

Different Experience on Museum’s Open House Days
The Magical Companions experience (RFID wristbands) will not be available on the Museum’s Open House days: 9 August (National Day), 11–12 October (Museum Anniversary), 20 October (Deepavali) and 25 December (Christmas). On these days, there will be no requirement for booking of timeslots, and all visitors are welcomed to walk in and experience the exhibition, as long as there is capacity available.

*Concession rates are applicable for Seniors (60 years and above) or Singapore Private Schools student or Persons with disabilities (PWD). One caregiver accompanying PWD will enjoy free admission, regardless of caregiver’s nationality. Children aged 0-6 can enter free of charge regardless of nationality.

Your Journey Through Time begins: Singapore Odyssea Photo Tour

Your journey begins when you pick up one of three types of RFID wristbands (almost like picking a Pokémon). One of 9 magical companions lie sleeping within – to be awakened later on your journey. But there is actually a deeper story to this. The companions are inspired by Singapore’s rich biodiversity, and by picking a colour, you get a random pick within each group:

Green (Land): Pangolin, Banded Langur, Otter
Blue (Sea): Hawksbill Turtle, Crab, Swordfish
Orange (Sky): Common Rose Butterfly, Hornbill, Straw-headed Bulbul

If you’re visiting as a group, it would be a more enjoyable experience to pick different colours, as a mix of colours are needed to fully experience the interactive section.

Board your time-travel vessel, and enjoy the opening cinematic for the experience.

Head inside the Glass Rotuna and marvel at the LED Globe within. This is the first of its kind in a Singapore Museum, and it cycles through a dazzling display of Singapore’s trade routes from past to present.

You then get to glimpse into a futuristic Singapore, a green, connected and sustainable city. Even the fourth tower of Marina Bay Sands can be seen.

The magical companion from your wristband awakes, flying alongside as you sail across different eras of Singapore, starting with present-day.

Throughout your journey, you will discover ruins on the wall murals that can be interacted with wristbands of the same colour. Just walk along slowly to bring your magical companion near the ruins – that will activate it.

Every step you down the spiral ramp will back in time through Singapore’s history – from present day to independence…

See early nation building efforts as Singapore emerged from the tumultuous times in the Postwar to wartime era.

Peek into the colonial era, that is filled with vibrant scenes of Singapore as a bustling port.

And then wander into the pre-colonial times, where Singapore’s mythical history can be rediscovered.

At the bottom of the rotunda, you’ll encounter this digital waterfall that loops through historical eras.

It’s a surreal presentation – you might feel like you’re inside the Rain Vortex at Jewel. As you walk closer to the waterfall, it peels away, unraveling the flow of time to reveal a historical scene beyond.

The floor also transforms, extending from the vertical flow of light and water. It’s fun and interactive.

Beyond the waterfall lies the Bottom of the Sea, marking the end of your journey.

Here, you will need to join forces with fellow visitors and release all your magical companions together, so that the giant crab will awaken, changing the tides in this magical realm, and bringing you through a dazzling voyage above the Great Tree of Life, and into the skies where legends emerge from the stars.

When the cinematic moments come to a rest, you can step into the Singapore History Gallery, where your journey continues. Or you could also visit Once Upon A Tide.

Singapore Odyssea at National Museum of Singapore

Opens from 8 August 2026
Shaw Foundation Glass Rotunda at Level 2, National Museum of Singapore

Free Admission for Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents. Click here for ticketing and timeslot booking information.

Visit the National Museum of Singapore’s website for more information.