Light graffiti, wet market crates and fishing for the sun: What to expect at i Light Singapore 2026

The next few weeks are set to shine brighter as i Light Singapore is back to transform Marina Bay and Raffles Place into illuminated interactive playgrounds. 

Organised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and presented by UOB, this year's theme is "Movement".  

From June 5 to 28, 7.30pm to 10.30pm daily, visitors can enjoy 14 light art installations created by a diverse line-up of artists from Singapore and around the world. 13 of these artworks are located at Marina Bay, while one, Arch Flower by France's Cyril Lancelin, is located at Raffles Place. 

One of the festival's highlight light art installations is Wave, designed by Masamichi Shimada from Japan.

Inspired by how every action, however small, has a ripple effect, the installation features five silver sticks rooted in the ground, that emit waves of light and sound when gently tapped.

At the lawn next to NTUC Centre is the installation Sliced, designed by Switzerland's Encor Studio.

The artwork, created with thick hanging fabric, features a long corridor shrouded in darkness. Perforations on the material's surface allow light to filter through, casting shadows and patterns that shift with changing angles and atmospheric conditions. 

Next to Sliced is Silent Moments by BN Label from Slovakia, featuring larger-than-life illuminated silhouettes of a cyclist, a person taking a nap and someone walking their dog.

Nearby at Behind Breeze Shelters is Resonora by Indonesia's Ostudio x Dearista, an installation that captures the city's invisible sounds and translates them into shifting patterns of light. These are projected onto layers of flowing suspended fabric.  

For a more hands-on experience, visitors can head over to Infinite Graffiti by Canada's Graffiti+. Located at the entrance of Marina Bay Link Mall, visitors are handed "spray cans" that emit glowing light, allowing them to draw on a five-metre-long "canvas".

Another interactive artwork is Celebration of Life by Singapore's DP Design and Yeo Ker Siang. Located in front of the Red Dot Design Museum, the installation features a towering six-metre cube structure.

Its panels combine colours, mirrored surfaces and live close-ups of visitors' facial features and gestures, interspersed with motifs contributed by Defence Collective Singapore's staff and members of the public. Guests can pose and prance in real-time, watching themselves projected across multiple screens on the structure. 

Next to Celebration of Life is Market Cycles by Singaporeans Tan Mei Yee and Ng Choon Wee. Here, multiple plastic crates commonly used by wet market suppliers and vendors are stacked to form an architectural enclosure.

The perforated sides of the crates allow light to pass through, creating a variety of colours, textures and patterns.

Over at the lower boardwalk, a luminous orb resembling the sun is suspended above the water by a fishing rod.

Titled Let's Fish the Sun, the artwork by China's Wentao Wang allows visitors to turn the rod's winch to move the orb, creating the illusion of pulling it from the water. As the "sun" ascends, its colours shift from deep red to amber before glowing warm white. 

Opposite Let's Fish the Sun is Where the Wildflowers Grow by Singapore's Kester Wong and Tan Shao Qi. 

Here, larger-than-life wildflowers crafted from locally reclaimed industrial materials, metal offcuts and discarded carpets, are arranged around the Mist Walk.

Visitors are invited to touch the installations, causing the large flowers to gently sway. 

At Event Square, Between Mountains and Seas by Taiwan's Peppercorn uses expansive light displays and immersive soundscapes inspired by the ocean and mountain to present a five-chapter audiovisual journey tracing the movement of civilisations and landscapes over time.

Other installations to look out for are Barbershop Wonderland by South Korea's Jeon Byeong Sam, Cube Graphics by France's Cyril Lancelin and Steps by Singapore's Nawal Bte Azhar. 

Beyond the artworks 

Apart from the 14 installations, the festival offers an array of programmes for visitors of all ages. 

At the Wave installation, Drum Prodigy, Singapore's first inclusive drum school, will perform two community drum circles titled Waves of Unity on June 6 and 13.

Local creative collective DPLMT will also host two live graffiti art showcases on June 6 and 19 at Infinite Graffiti. 

There will even be a submersion vinyasa yoga session on June 27 at The Promontory. Organised in partnership with Wild Pearl Studio and Beam World, the session features a live DJ guiding participants through an "electronic sound bath" synced to their own phones and earbuds. 

The popular Silent Disco Parade will also return on June 20, giving participants the chance to groove alongside the light installations around the Bay. The parade begins at the ArtScience Museum and culminates in a grand finale at The Promontory. 

To fuel up, grab a drink, or enjoy some live music, visitors can head over to the official festival village, GastroBeats, which runs from June 5 to 28. 

Admission to i Light Singapore is free, while charges may apply for certain programmes.

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melissateo@asiaone.com

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