VivoCity’s 20th birthday bash opens at Central Court on Monday, 12 October 2026, and its headline act is a miniature car race around a track modelled on the mall itself. If your usual HarbourFront weekend is a movie, a meal and a wander along the waterfront, this is a reason to stay longer.
The mall first opened on 7 October 2006, so it turned 20 last Wednesday. Its year-long campaign, VC20: Celebrating 20 Years, For Everyone, began in March, and the stretch from 12 October to 1 November is its busiest point. That stretch includes a week-long VC20 Birthday Playground, three weekends of deals, and two collectibles made with The Art Faculty (TAF), a social enterprise by the Autism Resource Centre (Singapore), or ARC.
VivoCity is owned by Mapletree Pan Asia Commercial Trust (MPACT), a real estate investment trust. Gwen Au, Vice President for Marketing Communications at MPACT Property Management Pte. Ltd., says the team “wanted this milestone to be a celebration that everyone can be part of.” That leaves two questions: which parts are fun enough to be worth your Saturday, and how much the “give back” collectibles actually give.
Small Cars, Real Leaderboard
The VC20 Mini Grand Prix is the main attraction. VivoCity says it runs on a 6m by 4m physical circuit inspired by the mall, where racers sit at simulator rigs and steer miniature cars around the track while friends crowd the barrier and shout encouragement.
Pricing depends on when you go. From 12 to 16 October, races are walk-in only at S$15 nett for a 10-minute race, S$65 for five or S$120 for ten, with a minimum height of 1.2m. Instead, a minimum spend of S$80 in up to two same-day receipts gets you a shorter five-minute race and a place on the leaderboard, and the overall champion wins a prize worth S$2,000 in VivoCity and mystery eVouchers.
Here’s our advice. If you were going to spend S$80 at the mall that weekend anyway, the weekend race costs you nothing extra and gives you a shot at the prize. If you’d rather practise first, the ten-race bundle works out to S$12 a race, and the weekday races are the only way to get extra time behind the wheel before the leaderboard opens.
The Free Picks Worth Queueing For
Two playground activities cost nothing at all. Make the VC20 Headlines is a newsprint photobooth by Solace Studios that harks back to opening day on 7 October 2006, putting you on a newspaper-style front page with a modern anniversary design. A free printed souvenir with your face on the front page? That’s a rare thing at a mall event.
Colour Our 20 is a digital colouring station. You fill in outlines adapted from VivoCity-inspired artworks by TAF artists, and your finished piece appears on a big screen as part of a shared mural built by visitors throughout the week. Both run from 12 to 18 October, during the playground’s 10am to 10pm opening hours.
Stop the Clock at 20
Hit The Perfect 20 sounds simple: stop a timer at exactly 20 seconds. Get it right and you win a prize, plus bragging rights at every family dinner afterwards. You’ll need a minimum spend of S$80 in up to two same-day receipts to play, and sessions run from 12pm to 2pm and 6pm to 8pm on weekdays, and 4pm to 8pm on Saturday and Sunday.
It’s the most family-friendly game in the line-up, and also the hardest to beat. Counting to 20 in your head is easy until a group of cousins is yelling over your shoulder.
Squishies and Clay Cupcakes
For younger children, VC20 Make & Celebrate is a 15-minute Crunchy Squishy workshop by SPLATTIFY. It runs from 12 to 16 October, 12pm to 8pm, for children aged three and above, with parental supervision recommended. Walk-in tickets are S$29 nett, down from the usual price of S$59 for the duration of the event.
The VC20 Cupcake Creations air-dry clay workshop on 17 and 18 October is open to VivoCity Kids Club members only. VivoCity says every session was fully booked as of 6 October, so check the SPLATTIFY workshop instead if your children are keen on crafts.
Weekend Deals, If You’re Spending Anyway
From 17 October, the deals move out of Central Court. VC20 Power Hour releases eight anniversary-only offers at 2pm and 5.20pm on 17, 18, 24 and 25 October, each from a different store and each lasting an hour. VivoCity posts each upcoming deal on its social media channels before it goes live.
The VC20 Rewards Capsule at West Boulevard, Level 1 runs from 4pm to 8pm across three weekends, ending on 1 November. A minimum spend of S$120 in up to two same-day receipts gets you a turn at a capsule machine, with a weekly grand prize of S$2,000 in eVouchers. It’s limited to the first 240 qualifying VivoRewards members each day.
New members who sign up and spend at least S$120 on a single receipt get a S$5 eVoucher, limited to the first 1,000 people. Every perk here requires spending, so plan around a shop you’d be doing anyway.
Does the S$2 Give-Back Add Up?
The TAF collaboration started earlier this year, when VivoCity commissioned TAF artists to create their own interpretations of the mall; those designs first appeared on a VC20 x TAF Bottle. This month brings two more collectibles. For every one redeemed, Mapletree and VivoCity donate S$2 to ARC, which supports its programmes for differently-abled artists.
The VC20 x TAF Pouch needs a minimum spend of S$150 in up to two same-day receipts. Redemptions are capped at 120 on weekdays and 240 on weekends, one per VivoRewards member per day. Spending at FairPrice Xtra doesn’t count, and you’ll receive an in-app notification when you qualify.
The VC20 x TAF Tote Bag needs a S$300 spend, with a cap of 100 on weekdays and 150 on weekends. VivoRewards Gold members who qualify also get a S$10 MINISO eVoucher, limited to the first 40 each day.
Here’s what that means for the donation. On a weekend day when every pouch and tote is claimed, that’s 390 items, or S$780 to ARC; on a full weekday, it’s 220 items and S$440. That’s real money going to a cause, though the pledge is tied to redemptions, so it depends on how many people reach those spend levels. The longer-lasting win may be the art itself, which shoppers will see across the colouring wall and on the bags they carry home. If you choose one, get the pouch: its spend threshold is half the tote’s, and it carries the same TAF rocket design.
🗓️ Date: 12 October to 1 November 2026 (Birthday Playground runs 12 to 18 October)
⏰ Time: Birthday Playground 10am to 10pm daily; Power Hour at 2pm and 5.20pm on 17, 18, 24 and 25 October; Rewards Capsule 4pm to 8pm on weekends
📍 Location: Central Court, Level 1 and West Boulevard, Level 1, VivoCity, HarbourFront
🎟️ Tickets: From 12 to 16 October, races are walk-in only at S$15 nett for a 10-minute race, S$65 for five or S$120 for ten, with a minimum height of 1.2m
🔗 Details: VivoCity’s official website and Instagram (@vivocitysingapore)
The free photobooth and colouring wall make the birthday worth a visit without spending a cent, and the mini race brings back some of the excitement of a day out at HarbourFront. The playground opens on Monday, 12 October, so check VivoCity’s official website, its Instagram (@vivocitysingapore) or its Facebook page (vivocity.sg) for each Power Hour drop. Then grab some friends, hit that S$80 spend, and race for the S$2,000 prize on 17 and 18 October!
Photos and Visuals courtesy of VivoCity.
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