Light Together Bras Basah.Bugis 2026: Free Night Art Trail with 5 Light Installations for National Day

By Dejiki on July 31, 2026 in Art+Culture

Light Together Bras Basah.Bugis 2026 is a new night-time light trail in the Bras Basah.Bugis precinct, running from 1 August to 5 September 2026 in conjunction with Singapore Night Festival.

Light Together Bras Basah.Bugis 2026: What’s is this?

The inaugural Light Together Bras Basah.Bugis is part of the precinct’s National Day celebrations, and runs as a lead-up to the annual Singapore Night Festival. Presented by HeritageSG, the trail features five free installations by local artists and studios that take over historical buildings and lesser-seen spaces across Bras Basah.Bugis, each drawing on a different local myth, legend or superstition.

I attended the media preview to walk the trail. Here is a look at each installation.

Voyage of Icons (National Museum of Singapore)

Voyage of Icons is a projection mapping work by visual artist Howie Kim on the facade of the National Museum of Singapore. It runs from 1 to 12 August only, after which the facade goes dark before a new projection takes over for Singapore Night Festival from 21 August.

The animated projection weaves familiar cultural icons into a whimsical visual journey. Rather than retelling history literally, it lets fragments of local folklore drift and combine across the building, inviting you to spot what you recognise.

The illustrations are cute and vibrant, and seeing them come to life on the museum facade at night has a charm to it. That said, the work is only on a section of the facade rather than the full building that Singapore Night Festival fans may look forward to.

Plant chilli then no rain! (Reflection Pool @ Bras Basah MRT Station)

Plant chilli then no rain! by Arup takes the local superstition of burning chillies and onions to ward off rain and scales it up into a playful installation on the lawn above Bras Basah MRT Station. Larger-than-life chillies and onions sit on glowing skewers, with a warm light radiating from within.

It is a simple yet puzzling piece if you do not know the reference (well, it didn’t rain during the preview!) The glowing forms could be fun for photos.

Touch wood! (Artsplace @ Waterloo Centre)

Touch wood! by Arup is the most fun installation on the trail. A sculptural tree with giant glowing white spheres stands at Artsplace @ Waterloo Centre, built around the familiar superstition of touching wood to ward off bad luck.

Three buttons at the base let you wish for Joy, Luck, or Peace. Press one and a ray of light travels from the button up the trunk, through the branches, and into the spheres above. Touch all three for full illumination. It is a small, satisfying interaction that gives the piece more life than a static light work.

Wandering Spirits Unbound (Stamford Place)

Wandering Spirits Unbound by Roger Ng Wei Lun gathers mythical creatures from Singapore’s folklore, including the swordfish from the Legend of Redhill, Kusu Island’s tortoise, Sang Nila Utama’s lion, and the trickster Sang Kancil, and reimagines them through Peranakan and batik motifs as a nod to Armenian Street’s identity as a Craft x Design hub.

The motifs are beautiful. Set against the busy traffic junction at Stamford Place, the juxtaposition is striking enough to make you pause as the patterns, colours and figures take new shape around you.

A Walk Through Mythical Singapore (Stamford Walkway)

A Walk Through Mythical Singapore by HeritageSG transforms the enclosed Stamford Walkway into a corridor of projected mythical creatures, divided into three themes: Sea, Land and Sky. The Sea section draws on the Legend of Redhill swordfishes and the giant tortoise of Kusu Island. Land follows Sang Nila Utama and the lion. Sky brings in Chinese dragons and Garudas.

In practice, the three sections repeat their motifs along the corridor rather than building a clear narrative arc, so the experience is more ambient than immersive. The walkway can also be viewed from the outside along the street, which gives a different perspective on the projections through the glass.

The installation also blends with the colourful lights display in the same walkway.

National Day Celebrations 2026 at the National Museum

If you are heading to the National Museum for Voyage of Icons in the evening, consider arriving earlier to visit Our Favourite Haunts, a photography exhibition featuring works by migrant workers, presented as part of the fourth Migrant Workers Photography Festival. This year’s edition is shown at the National Museum for the first time.

The exhibition centres on the photographers’ favourite places in Singapore, with some rather cool photos and hidden talents on display.

A semi-enclosed section partitioned by grey veils houses a set of darker, edgier images that belong to The Otherworldly. These are not spirit photography, but the moody, unsettling tone may appeal to horror fans.

And this is a photo of a photographer taking a photo of a photographer taking photos of the photographs on view.

While you are at the museum, Once Upon a Tide and Singapore Odyssea exhibitions are also worth a visit.

Plan Your Visit