News Releases
Celebrate Deepavali At The Istana Open House
31 October 2025
The next Istana Open House (IOH) will be held on Sunday, 9 November 2025, from 8.30am to 6.00pm. Members of the public are invited to explore the Istana grounds and enjoy a day of cultural performances and festive activities celebrating the Festival of Lights.
Performances and Activity Booths
With activities ranging from traditional arts and cultural performances to modern workshops, visitors of all ages and abilities will find something to take part in throughout the day.
These include Deepavali traditions such as making toranams (garlands) and decorating deepams (oil lamps). Contemporary workshops offer opportunities to try horseshoe painting, learn crocheting techniques, and experiment with water marbling.
Visitors can also take part in animal-assisted therapy with mini horses, and in activities that offer a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by people with visual impairments.
From 10.00am to 5.00pm, a series of performances will celebrate both tradition and inclusivity. Audiences can look forward to Tamil music and Bharatanatyam by Kalamanjari, interactive dance by Sri Warisan, and circus arts by APSN Katong School. The programme also features drum performances by MINDS Towner Gardens School and musical pieces jointly performed by Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore with East Spring Secondary School and Tampines-Meridian Junior College. Also performing are the STAR Dance Crew of SHINE Children & Youth Services, Apex Harmony Lodge, and St Andrew's School Concert Band.
Please refer to Annex A for the full programme.
Touring the Istana Grounds
Visitors are welcome to explore the Istana grounds, including its architecture and flora and fauna[1]. Self-guided tours of the Istana Villa are available from 8.30am to 6.00pm, where visitors can view a collection of State Gifts presented to Singapore’s leaders. Visitors who have pre-registered for the guided Istana Heritage Tour will tour the grounds during their chosen timeslot between 9.00am and 4.00pm.
Food and Beverages
There will be food and beverage stalls. Only cashless payments via the Credit/Debit Card and QR Code[2] will be accepted.
Admission Details
Entry to the Istana grounds during the Istana Open House will be via the Main Gate at Orchard Road. The nearest MRT station is the Dhoby Ghaut MRT interchange, which is less than five minutes away by foot. Entry may be restricted due to capacity or inclement weather.
Entry to the Istana grounds is free for Singapore Citizens and Singapore Permanent Residents, and migrant domestic workers accompanying families. Other visitors are required to pay an admission fee of $20 per adult and $10 per child (4 to 12 years old). Additional fees apply for other activities, such as the guided Istana Heritage Tour and visiting the Istana Villa.
Please refer to Annex B for fees for admission into the Istana grounds and Istana Villa, and the Istana Heritage Tour. Only cashless payments via Credit/Debit Card and QR Code will be accepted.
All proceeds from the entrance into the Istana grounds and tours are non-refundable and will support the President’s Challenge beneficiaries.
More information can be found on go.gov.sg/visitistana.
PRESIDENT’S OFFICE
ISTANA
31 OCTOBER 2025
ANNEX A
PROGRAMME FOR DEEPAVALI ISTANA OPEN HOUSE
Time | Activity | Venue |
Performances | ||
10.00am to 10.30am | ‘Drifted’ – Intergenerational Dance by Decadence | Performance Tent |
10.45am to 11.00am | ‘Bottle, Balance & Beyond’ – Circus Arts performance by APSN Katong School | Performance Tent |
11.00am to 11.30pm | Tamil vocal performances with multicultural instruments; Barathanatyam (Indian classical dance); semi-classical Tamil songs by Indian performing arts group Kalamanjari | Performance Tent |
11.45pm to 12.15pm | Vocal performances by Extraordinary People | Performance Tent |
12.30pm to 1.00pm | ‘Drifted’ – Intergenerational Dance by Decadence | Performance Tent |
1.15pm to 1.25pm | ‘Urban beats’ – Drum performance of Cajon and Djembe by MINDS Towner Gardens School | Performance Tent |
1.45pm to 2.10pm | ‘My Heritage’ – Interactive dance performance by Sri Warisan | Performance Tent |
2.30pm to 2.40pm | ‘Spreading Joy, Love and Light’ – Dance performance by New Life Preschool | Performance Tent |
3.00pm to 3.10pm | ‘The Banana Boat Song’ and ‘Ode to Joy’ – Vocal performance with instruments by Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore, East Spring Secondary School, and Tampines-Meridian Junior College | Performance Tent |
3.30pm to 3.40pm | ‘Kings and Queens’ – Hip Hop dance performance by STAR Dance Crew from SHINE Children & Youth Services | Performance Tent |
4.00pm to 4.15pm |
– Instrumental performance with Guitar Djembe and Surdo by Velvet Tones ensemble by Apex Harmony Lodge | Performance Tent |
4.30pm to 5.00pm | ‘Inspired: A journey through music’ by St Andrew’s School (Secondary) Concert Band | Performance Tent |
Activity Booths | ||
8.30am to 6.00pm | Visitors can enjoy traditional activities like making toranams (garlands) and decorating deepams (oil lamps). There will also be modern crafts including horseshoe painting, crocheting and water marbling. Interactive booths will offer sports try-outs, including unique experiences with mini horses from EQUAL for animal therapy. Visitors can also take part in activities that help them understand the challenges faced by people with visual impairments. Some of these enriching programmes are presented by Social Service Agencies (SSAs) including HealthServe, Extraordinary People, SINDA, SPD and Singapore Cancer Society, who will share their impactful work in supporting and uplifting communities across Singapore. All proceeds from the entry to the Istana grounds, tours and Istana and President’s Challenge merchandise booth will go to benefitting programmes supported by the President’s Challenge. Proceeds from the social service agencies’ booths will go to the agencies themselves. | Main Tent |
Guided Tours | ||
9.00am – 4.00pm | Istana Heritage Tour* *Hourly tours start from 9.00am, with the last tour departing at 4.00pm. | Istana Heritage Tour Booth near the Main Entrance |
Snacks and Merchandise | ||
8.30am – 6.00pm | Food Stalls | Food Tent |
Drinks Booths | Food Tent | |
ANNEX B
ADMISSION FEES TO ENTER THE ISTANA GROUNDS
Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents** | Standard | |
Adult | Free | $20.00 |
Children (4 to 12 years) | Free | $10.00 |
Children (Below 4 years) | Free | Free |
*All fees collected will go towards the benefitting programmes supported by the President’s Challenge.
**Including migrant domestic workers accompanying families.
ADMISSION FEES FOR THE ISTANA VILLA
Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents | Standard | |
Self-guided | Self-guided | |
Adult | $2.00 | $10.00 |
Children (4 to 12 years) | $2.00 | $5.00 |
Children (Below 4 years) | Free | Free |
*All fees collected are non-refundable will go towards the benefitting programmes supported by the President’s Challenge.
FEES FOR THE ISTANA HERITAGE TOUR*
Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents | Standard | |
Adult | $8.00 | $30.00 |
Children (4 to 12 years) | $4.00 | $12.00 |
Children (Below 4 years) | Free | Free |
Family Package for Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents (2 adults + 2 children, aged 4 to 12 years) | $22.00 | Non-eligible |
*The guided Istana Heritage Tour is conducted by volunteers from NParks. Tours can be booked in advance through online pre-registration. All fees collected are non-refundable will go towards the benefitting programmes supported by the President’s Challenge.
For more information on tour availability and pre-registration details for the next Istana Open House, please visit go.gov.sg/visitistana.
[1]The Istana Main Building is currently closed for restoration until further notice.
[2]Participating payment merchants include Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Union Pay, JCB, Bank of China, Citibank, DBS, HSBC, ICBC, Maybank, OCBC, PayNow, Standard Chartered, and UOB.