Singapore Odyssea: A Journey Through Time

When you set sail with Singapore Odyssea: A Journey Through Time at NMS, you would be experiencing a time travel journey of Singapore, as it chronicles the major milestones in Singapore’s 700 years of history, presented through special animations and interactive experiences, in a personalised and immersive journey that gives visitors something different and unique to experience Singapore’s history from a fresh perspective. 

“The previous installation, Story of the Forest, featured animals inspired by our prized William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings. Well-loved by visitors, it sparked wonder and curiosity about the collection. With Singapore Odyssea, we wanted to continue drawing on our collection and rich stories to present Singapore’s history in an engaging and relevant way – this creates an accessible entry point, while honouring the depth and significance of our history,” said Ms Chung May Khuen, Director of the National Museum of Singapore.

Ms Chung added: “In presenting Story of the Forest, we pushed the boundaries of a conventional museum-going experience through technology and multimedia to create a highly immersive space. It was very well received by visitors, who called for similar experiences and even greater interactivity. This was the impetus behind incorporating further multisensorial and interactive elements in Singapore Odyssea that we hope will continue to excite and enchant our visitors.”

“The Shaw Foundation is proud to support the National Museum in its continued efforts to share the rich and storied history of our nation,” said Mr Mark Shaw of Shaw Foundation. “We hope that the bold and innovative storytelling in Singapore Odyssea will captivate and inspire visitors to take pride in our heritage and develop a deeper interest in Singapore’s remarkable history.”  

Experiencing 700 years of Singapore’s history in four episodes 

The Singapore Odyssea blends history, art and technology together, shaping into an evocative time-travel voyage through Singapore’s history that centres on the sea as an ever-present witness and enabler of our country’s evolution. 

Designed by local creatives, Singapore Odyssea offers visitors a vivid, immersive, experiential overview of Singapore’s journey over 700 years. This journey spotlights key moments of Singapore’s history, layered with local stories and myths associated with Singapore’s origins. 

This installation gives cultural and historical context to Singapore’s identity, adding depth and enhancing appreciation for Singapore’s place in the region and the world. When you visit Singapore Odyssea, you can look forward to “setting sail” from an imagined futuristic Singapore to our pre-colonial beginnings.

Join me! Let’s Set Sail with Singapore Odyssea: A Journey Through Time!

When you set sail with Singapore Odyssea: A Journey Through Time, what would you be experiencing? Here are the time travel stages that you would be going back into:

• Opening: Glimpse of the Future – Singapore, as a futuristic, green and connected city
• Episode 1: Setting Sail – Scenes from independence to present-day Singapore
• Episode 2: Riding Out the Storm – Scenes from wartime and postwar Singapore
• Episode 3: Age of Exploration – Scenes from Colonial Singapore
• Episode 4: Shores of Singapura – Scenes from pre-colonial Singapore period 

Opening: Glimpse of the Future (Singapore, as a futuristic, green and connected city)

You are now going to embark on your journey, it’s now boarding time to “board” a time-travelling vessel. Take in the futuristic view of the Singapore skyline from the “cabin”, this sets the stage for your time travel journey back in time.  

As you enter into the gallery, you will be greeted by a stunning light show anchored by a suspended LED globe – the first of its kind in a Singapore museum. The room is now immersed in vibrant hues of blue, the scene transiting into a two-minute show that maps the intricate network of maritime routes that have connected Singapore to the rest of the world over the years. 

Episode 1: Setting Sail (Scenes from independence to present-day Singapore)

Starting episode 1 of your time travel journey back in time as you descend the spiral ramp, you are now experiencing the pivotal chapters of Singapore’s history. Be mesmerised by the visual wall projections that you will encounter, coming alive through animated scenes and rich soundscapes. 

Immerse yourself into those key moments of Singapore, such as Singapore’s first National Day Parade before wartime evacuations, and ancient coastal communities. 

Episode 2: Riding Out the Storm (Scenes from wartime and postwar Singapore)

Entering into episode 2, you are now entering the time of wartime and postwar Singapore. Key scenes include the sinking of the HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse., Japanese air raids, and early nation building efforts. Experience the feelings and emotions of turbulence, uncertainty, and suspense.

Episode 3: Age of Exploration (Scenes from Colonial Singapore)

Continuing your journey back in time, to Singapore’s colonial era, with the sea as a gateway to the world, evoking wonder and surprise. Relive Singapore as a thriving port city, set against a tropical landscape that welcomed traders, immigrants, and new ideas. 

Episode 4: Shores of Singapura (Scenes from pre-colonial Singapore)

You are now entering into episode 4 of your time travel journey, the final episode of your Singapore Odyssea adventure. Dive into Singapore’s mythical pre-colonial past, sparking a sense of curiosity and wonder. 

Encounter the Orang Laut, the legend of the Palembang prince Sang Nila Utama’s arrival on the island, and story of Padang and the Singapore Stone.

Grand Finale at base of the Glass Rotunda 

Your time travel journey has now reached the base of the Glass Rotunda. A grand finale awaits you, where a cinematic digital waterfall curtain opens up in segments to reveal pivotal moments from Singapore’s history as you approach towards it.

On the floor, it’s dynamic as it responds to visitors movements, with each step creating ripples on the surface that interact with surrounding ripples generated by others. An interactive and fully immersive experience enhanced by a curated sound design, creating a powerful grand finale to your time travel voyage at Singapore Odyssea.  

Sustainability as a thematic undercurrent 

In the previous interactive exhibition edition at the Glass Rotunda, Story of the Forest sparked the topic and conversation on environmental awareness. Today, in Singapore Odyssea, this continues on, showing how Singapore’s identity has been shaped by its natural environment and the sea – from the lives of coastal communities from early Singapore, to the nation’s post-independence greening efforts and visions of future climate resilience.

Ms Priscilla Chua, Principal Curator of the National Museum of Singapore, shared: “The launch of Singapore Odyssea in the momentous year of SG60 is an opportune time to revisit our nation’s remarkable journey, while reflecting on our relationship with the environment. We encourage visitors to draw connections between the evolution of Singapore’s natural environment through the ages, with urgent global challenges like climate change and rising sea levels that are pertinent issues that will shape Singapore’s present and future.” 

Buddy Buddy Time Travel at Singapore Odyssea: A Journey Through Time

Before visiting NMS for a Singapore Odyssea: A Journey Through Time, don’t forget to invite your bestie/buddy along for this interactive and immersive experience. 

Pick up a personalised RFID-enabled wristband before you go onboard your time travel journey. You can “adopt” one of nine companions, each inspired by Singapore’s native fauna. 

Whether it’s a forest dwelling pangolin, a coastal crab, or a sky-gliding hornbill, these companions respond uniquely to their visitor’s movements and environment by lighting the path forward, triggering hidden animations, and deepening emotional connection at every turn.

Release your RFID-enabled companions at a Digital “Well”

You have reached the end of your Singapore Odyssea: A Journey Through Time adventure, before you leave and return back to modern day Singapore, you are invited to release your RFID-enabeld companions at a digital “well”. 

This symbolic gesture reinforces the saying that what is borrowed from nature should be returned with care – A call to action to build a sustainable future for people and the real-life counterparts of those (RFID-enabled) companions.

This experience is featured alongside immersive media where myths of legendary creatures such as the giant tide-moving crab and the magical tree of life Pauh Janggi are reinterpreted. All these offer poetic entry points into today’s urgent ecological conversations and topics on climate change, rising sea levels, and biodiversity loss not as isolated modern concerns, but as part of Singapore’s long and evolving story.

Singapore Odyssea: A Journey Through Time Opens 8 August 2025

The Singapore Odyssea: A Journey Through Time officially opens to the public on 8th August 2025. Admission to Singapore Odyssea, is free for Singaporeans and permanent residents. 

Leading up to SG60 Celebrations at the National Museum of Singapore, Singapore Odyssea will run alongside other complimentary showcases happening at National Museum of Singapore – including the commemorative Once Upon A Tide, that explores Singapore’s maritime evolution from settlement to global city, and a curated series of programmes for the National Museum of Singapore’s SG60 National Day 2025 celebrations on 9th August 2025. 

These include community-built LEGO installations, digital and hands-on art activities, live performances, and a spectacular evening projection show, Canvas of Light: Your Nation’s Journey, on the facade of the National Museum of Singapore.

For more information, please visit go.gov.sg/singapore-odyssea or the National Museum’s Facebook and Instagram pages. 

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Inspired by 1987 National Day Theme song “We Are Singapore”

Inspired by the lyrics of the beloved 1987 National Day Theme song “We Are Singapore”, 2025 SG60 celebrations programmes are thematically curated to honour the people, values and stories that have shaped Singapore over the years.

Chung May Khuen, Director of the National Museum of Singapore, said, “The National Museum has long been a space where Singapore’s history and identity are explored, celebrated and reimagined. This SG60, it is especially meaningful for us to welcome visitors to join us in reliving the stories and values that form our identity as Singaporeans. Inspired by the song “We Are Singapore”, which speaks to our spirit of determination and immense pride in the country we’ve built together, our largest National Day celebrations aim to honour our shared past and invite the community to participate in shaping the stories we continue to tell.” 

Telling the Singapore Story through Light and Bricks in the lead-up to National Day 2025

Singapore’s SG60 celebrations at NMS are starting in July 2025 with two eye-catching activities telling the Singapore story through light and bricks in the lead-up to National Day 2025.

Canvas of Light: Our Nation’s Journey 

The crowd favourite National Day Light-Up will finally make a return on NMS facade from 18th July to 9th August 2025 with Canvas of Light: Our Nation’s Journey. This year’s iconic projection offers a refreshed visual experience with stunning light art, and in a tribute to Singapore’s resilience and unity, visitors can watch Singapore’s story unfold across NMS historic building facade through a captivating dance of light and colour.

Canva of Light: Our Nation’s Journey

• Time: Daily | 7:30pm – 12am
• Location: Front Lawn, Level 1
• Price: Free of charge

Stories of Singapore: Building Our Heritage, Brick by Brick

LEGO fans in Singapore rejoice! You CANNOT miss this! You MUST visit Stories of Singapore: Building Our Heritage, Brick by Brick, showcase at the Stamford Gallery, celebrating Singapore’s community creativity and national heritage through play. 

Inspired by the Flows of People section in the NMS commemorative SG60 exhibition, Once Upon a Tide: Singapore’s Journey from Settlement to Global City, this showcase brings Singapore’s satires to life through a mix of building bricks and innovative digital installations and experiences.

Stories of Singapore: Building Our Heritage, Brick by Brick is presented in collaboration with The LEGO Group. Immerse yourself into this large-scale diorama of iconic Singaporean elements, intricate LEGO builds of Singaporean’s favourite local food, and LEGO artworks by students of the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) that depict historical and modern scenes inspired by our iconic Singapore River.

Whether you are a young or young at heart LEGO fan, I reckon you will love this Stories of Singapore: Building Our Heritage, Brick by Brick! It’s truly Uniquely Singaporean stories that many of us here can relate with, take your time to observe the Uniquely Singaporean characteristics, history, heritage, culture and modern anime/mecha/toys world! 

Singapore’s Biggest LEGO Mural

When you visit Stories of Singapore: Building Our Heritage, Brick by Brick, you can contribute to a one-of-a-kind LEGO mural that aims to set a new Singapore Book of Records title for Singapore’s Biggest LEGO Mural ever created in the country. Visitors are invited to play a part of this record-breaking moment by completing the final section of the mural, with each added brick being a tribute to Singapore’s enduring community spirit, creativity and national pride.

Digital River Stories

Inspired by the creations in the Stories of Singapore showcase, visitors are invited to actively participate in Digital River Stories, an engaging digital experience designed in partnership with MID Pro Group to foster creativity. Using their personal mobile devices, visitors can unleash their artistic talents through a digital colouring activity and share their hopes and desires for the future of Singapore. Once completed, these artworks can be seamlessly submitted to a dynamic digital wall, where they will come to life and join a vibrant and ever-evolving interactive background.

Play with LEGO at LEGO Play Box 

For the young builders, you can engage in free play to create items inspired by the exhibition. 

Mini LEGO Orchid Workshop

When you are visiting Stories of Singapore: Building Our Heritage, Brick by Brick, drop by during the following days and time slots to craft your very own LEGO orchard to bring home a moment of your visit!

Saturdays and Sundays, 19th – 20th July | 26th – 27th July | 2nd – 3rd August |

• Time: 2pm – 5pm
• Saturday 9th August 
• Time: 10am – 12pm & 1pm – 5pm
• Note: Materials for each slot are limited, on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Stories of Singapore: Building Our Heritage, Brick by Brick

• Time: Daily: 10am – 7pm
• Location: Stamford Gallery, Level 1
• Price: Free of charge. Entry may be restricted when the gallery is at capacity.

Grand Finale Celebration on 9th August 2025

4 levels of National Day Celebrations – each representing a line from NDP 1987 theme song, We Are Singapore.

Basement Level – There was a time when people said that Singapore won’t make it…

Visitors can participate in hands-on experiences that pay homage to Singapore’s maritime past, centred around Singapore’s early history as the capital of the Straits Settlements.

National Day Colour Competition 2025

• Time: 10am – 1pm
• Location: Gallery Theatre, Basement Level
• Price: Free of charge (subject to a refundable deposit of $10 per child)

Interactive Storytelling: The River Road

• Time: 3pm – 3:45pm & 4:30pm – 5:15pm
• Location: Gallery Theatre, Basement Level
• Price: $12 per adult-child pair (incl. GST)

Create & Float: Make Your Own Boat

• Time: 10am – 11am (priority slot for people with disabilities) | 11am – 12pm & 1pm – 5pm (for public)
• Location: Canyon: Basement Level
• Price: Free of charge

Level 1 – This is my country, this is my flag…

Visitors are invited to celebrate elements that make us uniquely Singaporean, with activities that spotlight cultural keystones such as our beloved Singlish dialects and the iconic kopi and kaya toast Singapore breakfast ritual.

Waves of Wisdom: A Human Library Experience

• Time: 10am – 12pm & 2pm – 4pm 
• Location: Reunion, Level 1
• Price: $5 per pax (including GST), includes pastry set from Cafe Brera (consisting of 1 pastry and 1 beverage)

Heritage in a Cup: The Art of Kopi and Kaya

• Time: 10am – 12pm 
• Location: The Salon, Level 1
• Price: $32 per pax of $60 per pair

Can Draw Anot?

• Time: 3pm – 4pm
• Location: The Salon, Level 1
• Price: Free of charge

Mirror, Mirror: Interactive Photo Booth

• Time: 10am – 5:30pm 
• Location: Longer Concourse, Level 1
• Price: Free of charge 

Writings on the Wall

• Time: 10am – 7pm
• Location: LED Wall, Level 1
• Price: Free of charge 

Our Singapore, Our Canvas – A Community Artwork

• Time: 10am – 12pm & 3pm – 5pm
• Location: Front Lawn, Level 1
• Price: Free of charge

Percussion performance by Green Drumming

• Time: 5pm – 5:15pm (arrive by 4:50pm) 
• Location: Front Lawn, Level 1
• Price: Free of charge

Live Telecast of NDP

• Time: 5:30pm – 8:30pm (sit by 5:15pm) 
• Location: Front Lawn, Level 1
• Price: Free of charge

Level 2 and 3 – We Are Singapore, Singaporeans…

Designed to highlight pivotal moments in Singapore’s path to independence, visitors can look forward to a heritage hunt showcasing the museum’s artefacts, batik activities featuring beloved icons, and more.

The Hunt @ MNS

• Time: 10am – 12:30pm & 1:30pm – 6pm (final registration at 5pm, and redemption counter closes at 6pm)
• Location: Glass Atrium (near the Donor Wall), Level 2
• Price: Free of charge

Reach Out for the Stars: Craft Activity

• Time: 10am – 11pm (priority slot for people with disabilities) | 11am – 12pm & 1pm – 5:30pm (for public)
• Location: The Platform, Level 2
• Price: Free of charge

Drop-in Batik Activity

• Time: 10am – 11pm (priority slot for people with disabilities) | 11am – 12pm & 1pm – 5:30pm (for public)
• Location: Glass Atrium (near the Glass Rotunda), Level 2
• Price: Free of charge

Hats off to SG! Craft Station

• Time: 10am – 11pm (priority slot for people with disabilities) | 11am – 12pm & 1pm – 5:30pm (for public)
• Location: Outside Explore Room, Level 3
• Price: Free of charge

Watch NDP 2025 live on the National Museum of Singapore front lawn

At the end of the day, as you and your family are wrapping your festivities at the National Museum of Singapore, families are invited to gather on the National Museum’s Front Lawn for a relaxing picnic under the stars for a live screening of the National Day Parade 2025 from 5:30pm onwards. 

Admission details and More Information

Admission to Stories of Singapore: Building Our Heritage, Brick by Brick showcase is free of charge. 

On 9th August 2025, all visitors can enjoy free admission to the National Museum of Singapore. Admission will include entry to the National Museum’s latest installation, Singapore Odyssea: A Journey Through Time, housed in the iconic Shaw Foundation Glass Rotunda – the first of the National Museum’s permanent galleries that will reopen on 8th August 2025. 

Visitors can also visit the Singapore History Gallery before its closure on 17th November 2025, with its last day open to the public on 16th November.

For more information, please visit the National Museum of Singapore Facebook and Instagram pages. 

Come on down to the National Museum of Singapore and celebrate SG60 National Day Celebrations!

An exciting line-up of SG60 National Day 2025 Celebrations awaits you and your family, loved ones and friends at the National Museum of Singapore! Come on down and have a great SG60 National Day Celebrations at the National Museum of Singapore! 

The post Exciting line-up of SG60 National Day Celebrations awaits you at the National Museum of Singapore! appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.