The 10th edition of the Singapore Garden Festival (SGF) officially opened today at Gardens by the Bay, celebrating Singapore’s vibrant gardening community with spectacular carnival inspired garden displays and an impressive showcase of homegrown fruits and vegetables cultivated by local gardeners.
Among the festival’s standout highlights are the Singapore Gardeners’ Cup (SGC) and the Community Garden Edibles Competition (CGEC), which brought together more than 300 community gardeners to demonstrate their creativity, horticultural expertise and passion for gardening. Ms Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and National Development, presented awards to the winners of both competitions during the opening celebrations.
The coveted “Best of Show” title in this year’s Singapore Gardeners’ Cup went to the West District for its imaginative garden display, Quantum Fair 3026. Inspired by the theme “Vintage Carnival”, the winning installation reimagines classic amusement rides with a futuristic twist while celebrating the beauty of nature through colourful planting and creative landscaping.
The Community Garden Edibles Competition also recognised exceptional produce grown by local gardening enthusiasts across 10 “Best Edibles” categories and an Open category. Winning entries included a cauliflower, cabbage, Tuscan rosemary plant and a unique hybrid chilli created by crossing the ‘Dreamcatcher’ and ‘White Thai’ chilli cultivars, highlighting the innovation and horticultural skill found within Singapore’s gardening community.
To support gardening enthusiasts and professionals, the National Parks Board (NParks) also announced that its popular publication, 1001 Garden Plants in Singapore: A New Compendium, is now available as a free digital book. First published in 2003, the newly updated fourth edition features more than 2,700 plant species commonly found in Singapore, complete with information on plant characteristics and care requirements. The publication can be downloaded from the Gardening SG website.
Jointly organised by NParks and Gardens by the Bay, this year’s Singapore Garden Festival runs from 4 to 12 July under the theme “Carnival of Blooms”, showcasing the best of tropical landscape design, horticulture and floral artistry through a wide range of competitions, exhibitions and immersive attractions.
Now in its eighth edition, the Singapore Gardeners’ Cup featured 36 gardening groups under NParks’ Community in Bloom programme representing the Central, East and West districts. Participants collaborated with NParks staff and local landscape professionals to create themed garden displays inspired by nostalgic fairgrounds while celebrating the beauty of plants and flowers.
First introduced in 2015, the Community Garden Edibles Competition continues to celebrate the dedication of Singapore’s home gardeners by recognising exceptional harvests, including uncommon fruits, vegetables and herbs that thrive in the country’s urban environment. This year’s competition introduced a new Chilli and Capsicum category, further reflecting the diversity of edible plants cultivated by local gardeners.
Visitors to SGF 2026 can also explore several other competitive showcases, including the Singapore Orchid Show, organised in partnership with the Orchid Society of South East Asia, which features rare and award-winning orchid varieties from around the world. The festival’s hallmark Show Gardens competition returns with a special All Stars Edition, bringing together eight previous “Best of Show” winners to present spectacular landscape creations that reflect their signature styles and cultural influences.
The refreshed My Living Space Competition offers fresh ideas for incorporating greenery into homes, while the Landscape Design Challenge sees students from Singapore’s Institutes of Higher Learning transform small garden plots into creative landscapes within just four hours. Floral enthusiasts can also enjoy the 14th International FDSS Cup Floral Designing Competition, while bonsai lovers can admire mature tropical specimens and artistic stones at the Penjing and Artistic Stone Exhibition and Competition.
Beyond the competitions, visitors can immerse themselves in a wide range of attractions celebrating this year’s Carnival of Blooms theme. Large floral installations include the striking eight metre high Floral Roller Coaster alongside the Floral Vortex, Floral Infinity Mirror and Floral Mirror Maze. As evening falls, the festival comes alive with the interactive Known by Flowers Light Installation created by renowned Chinese landscape designer Hu Shiyang, blending oversized floral sculptures with dynamic lighting effects.
New themed gardens such as Nature’s Carousel Play Garden, Sensory Garden: Forest of Sweet Delights, Sunkissed: A Celebration of Sunflowers, Silver Garden, Fruit Orchard and Wildflower Meadow provide visitors with immersive experiences inspired by nature.
The Flower Dome also hosts Orchid Extravaganza: Rhythm of the Rainforest, an Indonesian themed floral showcase presented in partnership with the Ministry of Creative Economy of Indonesia and the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Singapore. Featuring more than 7,000 orchids, traditional woven artworks and architectural recreations inspired by Indonesia’s rich cultural heritage, the display offers another major attraction for festival visitors.
Plant lovers can also browse the MarketPlace, organised in partnership with Planters Market, where a wide selection of plants, gardening supplies, home décor items and collectibles are available for purchase. Located at Bayfront Green beside Bayfront MRT station, the MarketPlace offers free admission daily from 10am to 8pm throughout the festival.
