Welcome back to Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, young friends!

Octoburst! – A Children’s Festival 2026 returns to Esplanade on 2 Oct 2026 as we come together to celebrate Children’s Day. This year, the festival invites children of all ages and abilities to play, create, listen, sing, dance and share stories. Featuring two new commissions, Dear Story Keeper and The Story Keeper’s Room, alongside music, movement, storytelling, craft activities and more, Octoburst! is a day of inclusive and accessible arts experiences for children and their families.

While Octoburst! could not take place at Esplanade last year due to the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, the festival continued its journey into schools, bringing arts experiences to children and encouraging them to explore their creativity. This year, we are delighted to welcome children and families back to the arts centre with programmes that invite young ones to see themselves as storytellers, creators and participants in the arts.

In Dear Story Keeper, a new commission created in collaboration with Zip Zap Zoom Collective, children are encouraged to create and share their own stories. Step into The Story Keeper’s Room, a free installation featuring stories created by children from across Singapore, and meet the Story Keeper in a live storytelling session. Singapore artists Tan Weiying and Cheryl Ho will also bring pop-up storytelling and mass games to spaces around Esplanade.

There will be plenty of music and movement to enjoy as a family. The Joyful Voices Children’s Choir will open the festival with a celebratory performance by children, for children. The Voice Company and Cherie Tse will bring popular musical theatre songs to life, with opportunities for everyone to sing along. Safuan Johari will get both little ones and grown-ups moving with music that crosses generations, cultures and worlds.

Get creative at The Color-Your-Mood Flower Studio! with WahSoSimple, where children can craft colourful “feeling flowers”. To round off the day, The Feelings Farm: Live in Concert! brings the much-loved songs and poetry of The Feelings Farm to the DBS Foundation Outdoor Theatre. Led by composer Julian Wong and featuring musicians Ethel Yap, Shafiqhah Efandi, Nadya Zaheer and Marcus Cheong, the concert celebrates the music from the Esplanade production, originally commissioned for the first edition of March On in 2021 and later restaged as part of the Feed Your Imagination (F.Y.I) series in 2024.

October is also a special month for PIP, our beloved children’s mascot, and PIP’s Club members can join in the fun at the festival booth to redeem a special gift! Most of all, Octoburst! is a celebration of the child within us. Whether they are big or small, new to the arts or already budding creators, we welcome children and their families to come and play, make, listen, sing, dance and create with us in a space where everyone can join in. We would like to thank our Principal Sponsor, Naturel, and Supporting Sponsor, Deloitte, for their generous support of Octoburst! 2026.

Happy Children’s Day, and we look forward to seeing you at Esplanade!

Rachel Lim
Senior Producer
The Esplanade Co Ltd