Singapore Series: Spectra (Laser Fountain Show)

Spectra (reminds me of a Bond film title) is a free (yes, free) laser fountain show you can see daily in the Marina Bay Area. The 15 minute duration event takes place twice in the evening at 8pm and then 9pm - on Fridays and Saturdays you can also watch it at 10pm. You can watch it one of two ways; either for free by gathering at the steps (event plaza area) to watch this spectacle or pay for the evening cruise to watch it from the river - I would recommend both if you have time (but for different reasons)!

I absolutely LOVE Spectra and have seen it many times, as you don’t get bored of it. I can’t quite compare it to anything else I’ve seen; for example in Hong Kong, they have the famous ‘Symphony of Lights’ but it’s so bad, it’s been elegantly re-nicknamed the ‘Symphony of shite’. We too got on the cruise to watch it from the water but it was really disappointing and to sum it up in one word - naff. In two words…really naff. We got off the cruise, feeling like we had wasted our money.

Spectra on the other hand is really magnificent. I remember watching it from the steps of the event plaza the first time, and I literally got goosebumps. It’s a combination of the music, with perfect synchronicity to the light and fountain, and with the financial district in lights as a beautiful backdrop. When you watch it from the event plaza steps, you enjoy the buzz of other people and although there are always big crowds, it’s always respectable and none of this rowdiness that you sometimes get with crowds in London at night (if you know, you know).

When you watch it from the boat, during off-peak seasons, there can be as little as 6 people on your boat and though there may be other boats on the river, because distance is maintained, you feel like you’re on your own watching a private show. Another perk is that you get views of the river (and all the famous landmarks) at night time before the show begins, and the captain moves the boat at times so you get different views/ angles of Spectra. It’s only when you watch it from the boat that you realise the Marina Bay Sands Hotel also lights up!

We purchased our evening cruise tickets from Clarke Quay! If you want to do the evening cruise, head to the area earlier in the day to shop and eat (would recommend Jumbo Seafood restaurant for excellent chilli crab), do the evening cruise and then drink in one of the many bars there! xo

Clarke Quay

https://www.marinabaysands.com/attractions/spectra.html

*NB. All photographs on this post are my own.