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Disclaimer!
Sentosa Flowers 2013 is yet to be completed at this point (the official opening is two days later on 09 February 2013) and what i am showing today are works still in development; meaning the final product could turn out drastically different.
This advanced visit was planned simply because i might not have enough time this year to pay my annual pilgrimage to Sentosa Flowers and departing from previous years, it is also a ticketed event this year!
Pictures on the web have also confirmed that areas to be spruced up for the event are not off-limit. Therefore,, i thought it is best to shoot some pictures before the massive crowd descends from this Saturday onwards.
Other than imposing an entry fee, Sentosa Flowers 2013 is also held at a different location; along the extensive Palawan Beach instead of the cramped areas surrounding The Merlion.
Flower totems lining up the entrance.
Some of the flowers have already wilted even though i have trust that this 'small' problem would be remedied when the event opens on Saturday.
Key highlight of the Sentosa Flowers this year is a giant floral carpet, measuring 40 by 30 meters, made up of over 30,000 real flowers. This would be impossible to implement should the same location from last year be used.
Gardeners were still furiously working on the vibrantly coloured 'carpet' and i am looking forward to seeing the completed work on Facebook! Strangely, this carpet was said to be 50 by 40 meters on the official website although the measurements on the information panel beside the carpet indicated otherwise.
Zodiac Water Snake - a flower sculpture featuring the new zodiac animal in the Chinese New Year (CNY). I still remember last year's sickly looking dragon with the fungal infection.
Question for Sentosa; the annual flower event is always tied to Chinese New Year, so shouldn't it be more appropriate to feature an Asian child sitting on the snake?
Booths selling drinks and snacks can be found along the walking track. You would need them especially when the weather is super hot like this afternoon.
Known collectively (there are three of them) as Sentosa in Bloom, these are themed gardens designed by educational institutions, neighbourhood committees etc.
No doubt a nice touch to have the local community participating in this annual event; i thought these gardens should also be replicated in the Hort Park.
Story of Nuwa - Nuwa is a mythical Chinese goddess said to be half human, half snake and to include her in the celebration of the coming snake year is befitting of her status!
Wrong body proportions of the statue were, however, sacrilegious in this instance! How can the goddess look so weird?!?!
Clusters of flowers accompanying your walk. On one hand, i think it makes complete sense to change the location this year. On the other hand, the bigger venue means walking more.
Spring Comes Alive - with gigantic bugs!
My bet is that these structures are permanent and have existed for quite a while but organisers of Sentosa Flowers 2013 have cleverly incorporated them for the purpose of the festive event.
Spring Love Garden - loving couples would definitely line up to take a happy picture in front of this pair of adorable snakes!
Random photograph taken using my 50mm 1.8G lens; i dropped the lens shortly afterwards. :(
Given that everything is still on the way to completion, the true beauty of the entire event could hardly be covered in this post. So note the disclaimer i have placed at the start!
The String Garden - another themed garden that should also take up a slot at the Hort Park! Kokedama is a type of Japanese Bonsai and you can read more about it here.
Created by Tivoli Gardens [Denmark], the string garden will feature kokedama suspended in the air! Between 10 and 13 February at 5pm, you can catch the Tivoli Boys Guard in action! Like many of you, i was like "who are they?". Click here to find out.
For a moment, i was wondering why not many people were working when the event is slated for official opening in just two days. The fact is; the vehicles only started rolling in after lunch.
Random again! You would see more of random pictures today as i am running out of words. =P
Rainbow Snake - from the above photograph, you could have wrongly assumed that this was knitted when it was actually made up of real flowers!
I guess this would be the showcase for orchids. The lack of people and the limited navigation signs gave me the impression that there was nothing more to the event. Truth is; i had only completed half so do check out the map before you begin your journey.
Spring Art Preface - an open air gallery on the beach featuring art pieces by a local artist; Tan Kai Huat.
Fun About Snakes - essentially games for kids! A word of advice: please don't wear covered shoes to Sentosa Flowers as it is a pain to get the sands off your feet at the end of the walk.
Random pictures again! At the very least, they gave you a rough idea on what you can hope to see at the flower event.
Mini version of the carpet of flowers!
The Village - don't anticipate too much as it was just a "flowery" term for food and beverage establishments serving your meals in very urbanised conditions.
Winter Love Garden - knowing that many couples would be celebrating Valentine's Day (which happens to fall on the 5th day of CNY), the organisers have set aside four sections in Sentosa Flowers with a love theme.
From far, this might be mistaken as a humongous snake! Haha.
Autumn Love Garden! I didn't go to Summer Love Garden as i would have to cross the bridge to the southernmost point of continental Asia. From what i can see, nothing was done up yet!
Fables Walk - serving as an educational tool for the younger generation, there are six fables in total with helpful panels narrating the stories.
Blank!? Once again, the bane of visiting before the official start date.
Anyone can recognise these flowers? You can easily grow them as the bulbs are commonly found in supermarkets and wet markets.
Trees of Life - when i first heard that Sentosa Flowers would be at Palawan Beach, my first thought was whether this permanent fixture, Trees of Life, would be moved as they have always been popular in my four years of visits.
Glittering Snake Trail? My gut feeling tells me this is not it. According to the official website, the trail would have the longest snake sculpture formed by sand!
The end of my walk! This should be a happy affair except that i have to walk all the way back to take the monorail at Beach Station.
A reminder again - the garden fairies are still hard at work to create a magical setting for Sentosa Flowers 2013 and the pictures i have posted so far are not representative of the finished displays!
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Location
Palawan Beach,
Sentosa Island
Price
S$5 for visitors 13 years old and above
Purchase online a day before @ S$4
Free for visitors 12 years and below
Duration of Event
09 - 17 February 2013
Website
Map
As above
Additional Information
Bring additional clothing if you sweat as heavily as i do. Those who could not stand the heat should consider the air-conditioned Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay.
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