2019 Children’s Festival at Gardens by the Bay Experience in Singapore

Let’s talk about fun and fancy festivals for all ages! Gardens by the Bay in Singapore showed us how to win the hearts of the young and old with a grand Toy Story 4 inspired carnival.

This past Sunday, my daughter and I flew to the island city-state in the Southeast Asia to experience a one-of-a-kind festival right at the centre of the Gardens by the Bay. We had a week to prepare for the trip before preschool officially starts, so with just a backpack and a lightweight umbrella stroller, my daughter and I took a Jetstar flight to Singapore to join this year’s Children’s Festival.

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How we got there

We arrived in Singapore at around 3 pm on Sunday, June 16. We quickly dropped off some of our belongings at Hotel Mi to make my backpack a little bit lighter and took a taxi from Bencoolen to Garden’s by the Bay near the Supertree Grove to stay on top of our busy schedule. A train and bus ride would cost around a dollar or two, but since we wanted to be there in just 10 to 15 minutes, we got us a taxi for around 8 to 10 SGD.

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What to expect

It was the second day of the festival and the only remaining day to meet and greet the stars of this year’s festivities, Woody and Buzz. But don’t worry, you still have a chance to visit the Children’s Festival and take advantage of its FREE admission because the event runs from June 15 to 30, 2019. I didn’t expect a festival this organised and mesmerising to be free for both locals and tourists. The structures, games, rides and carnival design were over-the-top not to mention the friendly and professional staff that were very patient in answering all of my questions. And to make sure you still get to enjoy your time while you wait in line, activity sheets and program guides were available to the guests. It says a lot on how Singapore invests on family-oriented activities that aim at giving everyone an easy and fun time.

Children wait in line for the Star Adventurer Game to start.

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What to do

The Children’s Festival had various itineraries to accommodate guests of any age. There are age appropriate programs like Family Day Out with Toddlers and Preschoolers for children between 3 to 6 years, a program for the Toy Story Fans, a vacation treat for children age 7 to 12 years old and Instagrammable Spots for influencers and bloggers.

You can try different Toy Story themed recreational activities and carnival games with the whole family be sure to prepare them to Singapore’s warm weather with these items:

We went to Children’s Festival 2019 to see Woody and Buzz

They only had a 2-day Meet and Greet schedules for Woody and Buzz, so we endured the 35-degree warm weather (which felt like 38 degrees) to have a photo-op and a high five with these two. But don’t worry the festival had statues of them in the Supertree Grove wait for your turn because the line could get long.

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What could have been better

There are so many things to see and try at the Children’s Festival alone, not to mention the other places that you could visit in the Gardens by the Bay. A half day visit isn’t enough to enjoy the entire carnival experience. If you plan on visiting the carnival, dedicate at least a whole day to try the games and activities with room for lunch and snacking.

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The Children’s Festival at the Garden’s by the Bay is a yearly festival made possible through a collaboration between the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia. With that said, we can expect to have exciting new themes every year.

I’m glad to have conquered the 3.5hr flight with my daughter to experience what it’s like to be in a festival dedicated to fun-loving adventure-seekers.

And oh! Did I mention this whole carnival experience is free for all?

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