SINGAPORE: An 8m-high roller coaster will welcome visitors to the upcoming 10th edition of the Singapore Garden Festival at Gardens by the Bay.
It does not actually move. Instead, it is designed to take festivalgoers on a flight – or ride – of imagination.
Floral Roller Coaster uses flowers to help visitors picture in their minds the thrill of a theme park ride.
There are sweeping curves and track-like structures filled with a vibrant mix of tropical foliage and flowering plants chosen for their bold colours and textures to fit the theme of the 2026 festival – Carnival of Blooms.
The festival, which will be held from July 4 to 12 across The Meadow, Supertree Grove and Flower Dome, is an international garden and flower show organised by the National Parks Board (NParks) and Gardens by the Bay.
Jason Wright, creative director of Singapore Garden Festival, said: “Carnival of Blooms reflects our aim to celebrate artistry and nature side by side, while putting a stronger spotlight on how nature can be experienced through design, play and wellness.”
“Compared to previous editions, you will see more emphasis on sensory gardens, interactive elements, and large-scale installations that you can walk up to and experience up close.
"It is designed so that people can connect with nature in their own way, whether you are someone who loves design details and horticulture, or you are a parent bringing kids for a fun day out.”
Apart from Floral Roller Coaster, the festival will also showcase other large-scale immersive floral installations, such as Floral Mirror Maze.
There will also be an interactive light installation, new themed gardens such as a nature play garden and sensory garden, a marketplace for visitors to buy plants and gardening equipment, and daily live music performances.
During a tour for the media on June 26 to view the set-up of non-competitive displays before the start of the festival, NParks staff and horticulture contractors were busy working on installations like Floral Roller Coaster, Floral Vortex, Floral Infinity Mirror and Nature’s Carousel Play Garden.
The 50m-long and 15m-wide Floral Roller Coaster – located at the entrance to give visitors to the festival a huge welcome – is the largest non-competitive installation in the history of Singapore Garden Festival to date.
Among the flowers and plants used in the installation are Crotons and Coleus (a palette of reds, yellows, oranges, greens and purples), Bromeliads (both terrestrial and epiphytic types), Golden Penda and Honey Myrtle, as well as a fanfare of trumpet-flowering plants.
Dennis Lim, festival director of Singapore Garden Festival, said: “We started building the set-up in mid-June and we expect to complete all displays by July 2.”
All nine competitive and 13 non-competitive displays are spread across The Meadow and Supertree Grove, he added.
Yellow Oncidiums, Dendrobiums and other vandaceous orchids are arranged in a swirling pattern in Floral Vortex. Every angle reveals a new layer of colour, texture and form.
Nature’s Carousel Play Garden is designed for families and visitors of all ages. It has a majestic tree at the centre, surrounded by smaller tree trunks that simulate the vertical posts of a fairground carousel.
Populating the garden are playful wood sculptures that resemble Singapore’s native animals such as sea turtles, owls, hornbills and pangolins.
Floral Infinity Mirror is a 14m immersive walkway between The Meadow and Supertree Grove, featuring vividly coloured plants and mirror-clad walls that create a living kaleidoscope that shifts with every step a visitor takes.
The festival’s signature Show Gardens competition will have a special all-star edition to mark its 10th edition, with eight previous “Best of Show” winners competing for the Pinnacle Award.
Also at the festival in 2026 is an exhibition, 165 Years In Bloom: A Story Of Singapore’s Garden Shows, which traces the rich history of garden shows in Singapore since the first in 1861.
Other highlights include a refreshed My Living Space competition – which builds on the previous Balcony Gardens competition to challenge designers to incorporate greenery and garden elements into daily living spaces in creative ways – the Singapore Orchid Show, Orchid Extravaganza, and the Floral Windows To the World Championship.
Following the successful introduction of the championship format in 2024, the live competition with six elimination rounds will see 17 international floral designers competing for the title of grand champion who will be crowned at the final round.
Singapore Garden Festival runs from July 4 to 12, 10am to 10pm. Admission tickets range from S$8 to S$32.
For more information, visit sgf.nparks.gov.sg
- The Straits Times/ANN
