Zoolympix: Stars of Mandai Festive Challenge opens on Saturday, 7 November 2026 at the East Lawn, Mandai Wildlife East, and runs until 3 January 2027. Kids aged three to 12 can swing, waddle and balance through 10 stations modelled on real animals.
Every station is named after one of the Stars of Mandai, from Ah Meng the orangutan to Arlo the king penguin. That turns a sports-day afternoon into a lesson on how each species survives in the wild. It’s a smarter pitch to parents than a plain bouncy castle, though there’s one of those too!
The Orangutan Behind the Rings
The 10 animals come from the Stars of Mandai, Mandai Wildlife Group’s line-up of named animal personalities across its five wildlife parks. The orangutan many Singaporeans grew up hearing about is part of it, in a way.
Her station, Ah Meng’s Canopy Gym, has kids swinging from ring to ring while wearing a durian-filled gunny-sack backpack. It’s monkey bars with a very local twist, and a decent hint at how much effort an orangutan puts into getting around the canopy.
Zoolympix Outposts sit inside all five parks, where kids can meet the real Stars of Mandai and take on bonus challenges.
10 Stations, 2 Difficulty Levels
The stations come in two difficulty levels, one for each age group.
Two stations make the survival angle easy to see. Arlo’s Egg Relay has players waddling in penguin flippers while balancing an egg on their feet, which Mandai frames as protecting a delicate egg the way a king penguin does. Kisala’s Splash Reveal hands kids a water pen to uncover camouflaged okapis on a board. It’s a quick, wordless way to show why stripes help an okapi disappear.
The other stations are just as hands-on. Karma’s Treetop Balance has kids crossing beams while collecting bamboo sticks, like a red panda, and Jubilee’s Savanna Trek has them clearing hurdles on giraffe-like hooves. Lady’s Mighty Kick measures a kick against a cassowary’s strike. In Neha’s Food Challenge, kids jump to grab food hung up high, the way an elephant reaches with its trunk.
The rest lean on brains as much as legs. Canola’s Meal Maze sends food through a manatee’s maze-like digestive tract, and Radin’s Ant Hunt uses a magnetic fishing rod to scoop up ants like a pangolin. Bayu’s Jungle Maze has kids hunting for a tapir’s favourite food.
The Partners Zone inside the Village is listed as free. Families for Life runs a bouncy castle and gives out a token while stocks last. Anywheel’s Pedal & Play awards a free cycling pass for completing 3 laps powering an electric racetrack. At the POSB Smiley Mart, kids can earn a Smiley Saver medal. AIA’s launch-weekend specials run from 7 to 9 November, 10am to 5pm, with a Tamarind the Tapir meet-and-greet, gachapon and a windmill workshop.
Kids collect stamps on their activity card as they finish stations, working towards the Zoolympian medal.
Catches Worth Knowing
- No re-entry: Village tickets are valid for a single entry on the date stated. Leave for lunch and you won’t get back in.
- Last entry is 6.30pm, and the Village closes at 7pm.
- Outposts need park admission. A Village ticket doesn’t cover the parks.
Christmas Shopping and Dining
Wild Side, Best Side: A Wilder Christmas Awaits runs over the same dates across Mandai Wildlife East and Mandai Wildlife West, with over 20 participating dining outlets. Spend S$50 in a day to get a Scratch Card with a chance to win stays at Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree, Glamping in the Wild and dining prizes. You can combine two receipts, so a S$30 lunch and a S$20 snack add up to one card.
Under the Fuel Your Zoolympix Adventure promotion, Ah Meng Restaurant and Mama Panda Kitchen give a free 3D animal-shaped ice cream with a S$20 minimum spend. At Penguin Cove Restaurant, a S$50 nett single receipt plus a completed activity gets a free parfait or tiramisu worth S$9.90.
🗓️ Date: 7 November 2026 to 3 January 2027
⏰ Time: 10am to 7pm daily (last entry 6.30pm)
📍 Location: East Lawn, Mandai Wildlife East, Mandai Wildlife Reserve
🧒 Ages: Three to seven (easier) and eight to 12 (harder)
🏅 Medal: Zoolympian medal for the challenge
🦁 Outposts: Included with park admission at all five parks
Read up on the animals behind each station on the Stars of Mandai page before your Zoolympix visit!
Photos and Visuals courtesy of Mandai Wildlife Group.
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