Our ultimate Singapore picnic guide: Where to go and what to pack
While it may sound like just an ordinary reservoir, Marina Barrage's grassy green rooftop is home to some of the most spectacular views of the city, making it the ideal spot for a romantic evening picnic. As the sun sets, witness the city light up. Enjoy views of the iconic Super Grove trees in Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands Hotel and the city skyline. This is our personal favourite picnic spot in Singapore. Below is our guide to how make a picnic here a true fairytale.
Visit Marina Barrage Singapore at the right time
We prefer to picnic in the evening, as the sun sets, temperature drops and cooling sea breeze can be felt from the top of the Barrage. The skyline illuminates with with the city lights from around 7.15pm onward. We visited in July, making us lucky enough to witness the 8pm firework display as part of the routine practise leading up to National Day in August. It did make it a little busier than usual, but after the fireworks show ended, the crowds disappeared.
Create the picnic perfect setting
The first time we came for a picnic at Marina Barrage was to celebrate our anniversary. We decided to skip the expenses of fine dining celebrations and create our own romantic dinner. This is our top picks of what to bring to set the mood right and ensure for a comfortable picnic.
Find the perfect picnic basket: We got our charming little wicker basket as a christmas gift from our families. It's since been one of our most beloved gifts. Our basket includes everything we need already, plates, forks, knives, spoons, glasses and a cooling bag inside. We got ours from Wheel & Barrow.
Invest in multiple picnic blankets: We always pack 3 or 4 blankets when heading out. We always bring two with plastic coating, to keep dry from any wetness on the grass. These can also be found at Wheel & Barrow, but our most recent favourite is from Sunnylife. The other two are just for decor, we picked up some cheap ones on Lazada with patterns we loved for just a few dollars.
Fairy lights, fairly lights and more fairy lights: For less than $5 per packet of fairy lights, we invested in four packets of these, again found online on Lazada. They take AA batteries making them very easy to continue using.
Inflatable backrests for maximum comfort: We find after a few hours sitting on the ground it can get uncomfortable. We were lucky enough last year to attend Films at the Fort where we received free inflatable backrests to sit on. We've used them in every picnic since. I'd suggest looking online for these.
Don't get bitten: We always apply mosquito spray before leaving home.
What to pack for your picnic: Our favourite food picks
We are notorious for buying more food than we can ever finish eating, these are our top choices. We find most options in Fair Price finest or Little Farms supermarkets (this place is a top choice for any Australian expats looking for food from home too).
Cold Cuts: parma ham, virginia leg ham (150g per person)
Cheeses: our personal favourite is Mersey Valley Original Cheddar, but we always pack 3 or 4 cheese options to bring along including a blue and comte
A fresh baguette
Crackers
Fruits: grapes, berries, melon
Olives
Mushrooms
Cherry tomatos
Carrot & celery sticks
Willow Farms Dips: french onion, hummus
Cobbs sea salt popcorn
Bark Thins pretzel chocolate
Wine or any drinks of our choice
Water
A bag of ice
Napkins
Cutlery (if not included in the picnic basket)
Extra plastic cups
A cheese board
Cheese knives
Rubbish bags to clean up after
Getting to Marina Barrage
If taking a taxi to get there we recommend using the app Grab (for a first time discount use our referral code GRAB 1HU0ZBZO)
Planning to stay in Singapore, find the best hotel deal here:
We hope you enjoy your picnic and enjoyed our guide to creating the ultimate Marina Barrage Picnic. For more weekend activity inspiration in Singapore check out the activities section of our blog. If you're interested in seeing more on our top Singapore bars and restaurants you can also find our Singapore restaurant reviews here.
YOUR
LITTLE SHERPAS
Follow us on instagram: @littlesherpatravels
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