For SG60, i Light Singapore is setting the whole Marina Bay skyline aglow with meaning, memory, and metaphor.
From 29 May to 21 June 2025, i Light Singapore (iLSG) makes its return. Organised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority and presented by UOB, this 2025 edition goes deeper, digging into themes of sustainability, togetherness, and transformation. If you thought LEDs were just pretty to look at, prepare to be pleasantly proven wrong.
Let’s start with the theme. This year, iLSG takes its cue from “To Gather”, inspired by the colour red, Singapore’s national hue and one of the more emotionally charged shades of the visible light spectrum. Red symbolises passion, unity, and resolve. Not just fireworks-in-the-sky vibes, but a deeper call to action.
It also dovetails nicely with SG60, a moment for all of us to look back at how far we’ve come, and forward to what we dare to imagine next.
As URA CEO Mr Lim Eng Hwee puts it, “The Festival will once again illuminate Marina Bay and serve as a focal point where diverse individuals, groups and ideas converge to shape a more sustainable future together.”
The main stage at Marina Bay is a sensory playground. Take “Piano Walk” by Amigo & Amigo. Forget ivory keys in a concert hall; this is a piano the size of your living room, laid out across the Marina Bay Sands Event Plaza. Every footstep, hop or skip triggers notes and lights, like an impromptu jam session with strangers. It’s equal parts playground and performance stage, merging the childlike joy of discovery with musical collaboration.
Then there’s “Take a walk through the meadow with me” by Megan Tan and Tan Shao Xuan. At a glance, it’s a field of 300 glowing flowers, but these are born from waste. Acrylic offcuts, destined for landfill, reborn into a glowing, musical meadow that responds to your movement. There’s even a DIY charm workshop using these same offcuts.
And in case you’re wondering whether technology can also carry soul, Ultravioletto’s “Urban Oracle” might change your mind. Twenty-four light-up letters suspended near the Red Dot Design Museum pulse with AI-generated messages, snippets of Singapore’s past, present and possible future. Press a button, watch the light dance across water, and get a glimpse of tomorrow’s folklore.
This year, iLSG has grown in both ambition and footprint. For the first time, it stretches into Raffles Place and along the Singapore River, bringing light and meaning to the commercial heart of the city.
At UOB Plaza, the “Reverse Waterfall” by UxU Studio flips your expectations, literally. A digital cascade of LED tubes flows upward, defying gravity and logic. It’s a reflection on how challenging norms can birth new understanding.
Nearby, the “Bridge of 1,000 Dreams” on Cavenagh Bridge invites you to walk beneath illuminated bamboo sticks, each one carrying the hopes and sketches of Singapore’s youth. It’s a glowing tapestry of imagination, held together by community, crafted for tomorrow.
At Raffles Place Park, “The Guardians” stand tall; vibrant inflatable flora crafted from recycled materials. These abstract blooms, created by Matthew Aberline and The Beautiful And Useful Studio, draw on his family legacy of floristry. It’s a beautiful meditation on kinship, colour, and care.
It wouldn’t be a Singaporean celebration without food. GastroBeats, the returning Festival Village at Bayfront Event Space, offers more than just Instagram-worthy bites. From 29 May to 22 June, you’ll find live music, eco-activations, and talent showcases, including “Let’s Trouble The Water!”, a cheeky but urgent call to combat marine pollution, led by animated characters Jelilo and friends.
Also back this year is a call to creative action. The “Design your own meadow memory” workshop lets you craft a charm using upcycled flower fragments from the meadow installation. Small keepsake, big impact, and a personal way to carry the message of sustainability home.
It would be easy to dismiss i Light Singapore as just another calendar event. Another flicker in the city’s ever-glowing skyline. But you’d be missing the point.
This is a festival that not only lights up buildings but also minds. It reframes waste as wonder, and invites us to step in, not just as spectators but as collaborators in shaping the city’s future. Whether it’s AI or acrylic scraps, everything becomes a medium for connection, creativity and consciousness.
So, bring your loved ones. Bring your reusable cups. Heck, bring your pets (GastroBeats is pet-friendly, after all). Just be sure to bring an open mind and a willingness to see the extraordinary in the everyday.
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