Sunflower Surprise 2026 at Gardens by the Bay: a parent's guide

This year's Sunflower Surprise at Gardens by the Bay grows around a little Portugal. Sunflower Surprise: Garden by the Ocean fills the Flower Dome from 9 October to 9 November 2026, daily from 9am to 9pm, and it comes with an ordinary Flower Dome ticket: $12 for a resident adult and $8 for a child aged 3 to 12. Your kids can walk through a 12m-long copy of a Lisbon hillside, find a 6m lighthouse and stand under sunflowers that grow up to 1.8m tall.

Everything below comes from the Gardens by the Bay website, read on 13 October 2026. The Gardens can change a programme without notice, so look at the official Sunflower Surprise page before you set off.

Dates, hours and tickets

Resident rates cover citizens, PRs and anyone living here on an Employment Pass, Work Permit or Dependent Pass. Bring proof with you, since staff can ask for it when you buy or at the gate and you pay to upgrade without it. All prices are in Singapore dollars and include GST.

The bigger bundle adds Cloud Forest with Jurassic World: The Experience, Disney Garden of Wonder at Floral Fantasy and the shuttle, and the Gardens says to allow about three hours. With a toddler, one dome and a run around outside is often plenty. Our Disney Garden of Wonder guide covers the Floral Fantasy part if you do go big.

What your kids will see

This is the Gardens' first floral display with a Portuguese theme. It marks 45 years of ties between Singapore and Portugal and is put on with the Embassy of Portugal. The scenes run roughly like this:

• Alfama. A 12m-long, multi-tiered copy of the hillside homes in one of Lisbon's oldest neighbourhoods. You walk right through it, past Portuguese textiles and tile patterns, and its windows look out over the sunflower field.
• The coast. The striped fishing houses of Costa Nova, a 6m-tall copy of the Belem Lighthouse and the bow of an old Portuguese sailing ship. Small sailors will want to stand at the front.
• Lisbon streets. Old street kiosks, one of them a copy of a refreshment kiosk from the late 1800s, plus a Porto shop with an Art Nouveau front and bright tiles.
• The countryside. At the back of the Flower Field the scene turns to vineyards, olive groves and cork oaks, where Portugal grows its wine, olive oil and cork.

Around all of it are more than 5,000 sunflowers in 20 varieties. The tallest, 'Gold Lite', can reach 1.8m, over most grown-ups' heads. 'Sunfinity Red' has a dark red ring around its centre. 'White Nite' has pale, creamy petals and a nearly black middle. Ask your child to find all three, and the walk becomes a hunt.

There is a contest too. Find the two contest boards in the Flower Dome, scan the QR code and answer one question for a chance at a pair of return economy tickets to Portugal on Turkish Airlines. The contest has its own terms and conditions.

Free and paid extras for kids

Experience Portugal runs beside the sunflowers from 8 October to 9 November. It costs nothing more once you are inside the Flower Dome. For the Flower Field Hall part, use the Group Entrance, the glass door next to the Flower Dome entrance. These are the sessions that suit children:

Each Get Crafty! session takes about 15 minutes per child. You sign up on the spot, slots go to whoever comes first while the materials last, and you pay the organiser by cash or PayNow. Fees are not refunded, and children under 12 need an adult with them.

Older children may also like the photo exhibition in the Mediterranean Garden on five centuries of links between Portugal and Southeast Asia. The Gardens mentions Portuguese food, dance and two film screenings for the season without times yet, so check the Experience Portugal page closer to your visit.

Getting there by MRT, bus or car

• Gardens by the Bay MRT (Thomson-East Coast Line, TE22): Exit 1 takes you straight into the Gardens.
• Bayfront MRT (Circle and Downtown lines, CE1/DT16): take Exit B and the underground linkway, then cross the Dragonfly Bridge or Meadow Bridge.
• Bus 400 from Tanjong Pagar MRT: leave by Exit C, walk to stop 03223 at International Plaza on Anson Road, and get off at stop 03371 on Marina Gardens Drive.
• By car: the closest car park to the Flower Dome is the Main Entrance basement car park, open from 5am to 2am. Cars pay 3.5 cents a minute, capped at $30 a day, and for now the only way in is from Marina Gardens Drive.

A shuttle runs between Bayfront MRT, the Active Garden and the Flower Dome every day from 9am to 9pm, about every 20 minutes. It costs $3 for two rides for an adult or a child, bought online or in the Gardens app. Wheelchair users ride free and their caregiver pays. Bayfront Plaza car park, by the Bayfront Pavilion entrance, has four family lots.

Nursing rooms, lockers and strollers

The nursing room closest to the display is at The Canopy, near the Flower Dome entrance. Others are at Golden Garden near the information counter, inside Cloud Forest after the escalator down from Crystal Mountain, in the Floral Fantasy gift shop, at the Far East Organization Children's Garden and at The Meadow.

The Canopy has lockers for up to 21 hours at $4, $6 or $8, and they take only $2 notes. Wheelchairs cost $2 a day from The Canopy ticketing counter and must be back by 8.30pm. The Gardens' pages say nothing about strollers inside the Flower Dome, so ask at the counter when you buy your tickets.

Food nearby

The Gardens lists more than a dozen places to eat. Jurassic Nest Food Hall has Asian dishes with halal and vegetarian choices. McDonald's is halal-certified and looks out on the Supertrees, and Finnwood is a quick-service family restaurant. Conservatory Cafe does cold drinks, ice cream and snacks. Co+Nut+Ink sells coconut water and coconut ice cream served in the shell, which may be what gets a tired four-year-old walking again.

Rain plan

The Flower Dome is a glass conservatory, so the sunflowers are indoors whatever the sky does. The wet part is the walk in. Exit 1 at Gardens by the Bay MRT opens into the Gardens, and from Bayfront the underground linkway keeps you under cover until the bridge. Do not rely on the shuttle in a storm, because the Gardens may stop it in bad weather without a refund.

What else is on at the Gardens

• Disney Garden of Wonder at Floral Fantasy, until 14 March 2027.
• Bloomyard, a giant flower garden with swings and mini golf at IMBA on the West Lawn, until 25 October 2026.
• Race to Sustainability!, the Gardens' green festival, from 22 October to 29 November 2026.
• The Gardens by the Bay Christmas Train Show takes over the Flower Dome from 20 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. Our Christmas in Singapore with kids guide has the rest of the season.

Missed it this year? The Gardens has already listed the next Sunflower Surprise, a Greek-inspired display in the Flower Dome from 28 May to 4 July 2027. Our Gardens by the Bay family guide covers the free Children's Garden for the rest of the day, and weekend activities with kids has more ideas for the same weekend.

Frequently asked questions

When does Sunflower Surprise 2026 end?

On Monday 9 November 2026. It opened in the Flower Dome on 9 October.

Do I need a separate ticket for the sunflowers?

No. Flower Dome entry covers it: $12 for a resident adult and $8 for a resident child aged 3 to 12. For non-residents the Gardens lists the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest ticket at $46 for an adult and $32 for a child.

What are the opening hours?

From 9am to 9pm every day. Last entry to the Flower Dome is at 8.30pm.

Which MRT station is closest?

Gardens by the Bay station on the Thomson-East Coast Line, Exit 1. Bayfront on the Circle and Downtown lines works too: take Exit B and the underground linkway.

Is there a nursing room near the Flower Dome?

Yes, at The Canopy near the Flower Dome entrance.

Which sunflower activities suit preschoolers?

The Sensory Moments talks on 17 October are for all ages. The Sunflower Tray and the WWF clay session take children from 5, the paper bouquet from 6 and the suncatcher from 8.