A Family Day Out at the Esplanade

In the picture, a family is walking towards the Esplanade for an outing. The building behind them has a very distinctive shape, with two rounded domes covered in many spiky aluminium sunshades, which is why Singaporeans often call it the durian. I can see the family carrying a bag and holding tickets or a programme, so they are probably going to watch a performance. What I also noticed is that the waterfront and the city skyline are visible behind them, so the setting itself is part of the outing.

My family visited Gardens by the Bay together during the June holidays. We walked through the Cloud Forest, where there is an indoor waterfall and the air is cool and misty, which was a relief after being outside. My father kept stopping to read every information board while my brother and I wanted to go up faster. In the evening we watched the light show at the Supertrees lying on the grass, and that is the part I remember most.

I feel it is important for a few reasons. Visiting arts and cultural places together gives families something to talk about afterwards, which is different from sitting at home in the same room but on separate devices. It also exposes children to things they would never choose on their own, and sometimes those become the things they love most. Most importantly, in a country as busy as Singapore, setting aside a whole afternoon for something that is not work or studying is itself a way of saying that family time matters.