The Singapore Marathon is the city’s big race weekend, and from 2026 it arrives under a new name: the BYD Singapore International Marathon, formerly the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. Race weekend runs from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 December 2026, with the full marathon itself on Sunday 6 December. The organizer has published those dates, and they are confirmed.
A marathon weekend changes a city in predictable ways. Hotels near the center fill earlier than on a normal December weekend, race morning starts early, and the city runs on a runner’s timetable from Friday onward. Landing calmly, with a day to spare, protects the race.
What is happening
Runners, supporters and spectators concentrate the demand across the weekend. If you are racing, that concentration is the atmosphere you came for. If you are not, it is a weekend to book with your eyes open, because the center fills earlier than on a normal December weekend.
For runners, the shape of the weekend is familiar: arrive with a day to spare, keep the Saturday gentle, and let Sunday be about the race. Singapore’s heat and humidity are the local variable every visiting runner plans around, which makes the easy arrival matter more here than at a temperate city marathon.
The same weekend is one of Singapore’s busiest of the season. Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay is running through the same dates, so the city is hosting a race weekend and its headline festive event at once. Book rooms earlier than you normally would for December.
Give the trip a day after the race if you can. Singapore rewards the unhurried version, and a spare day turns a race weekend into a proper city stay: a hawker breakfast without a start time, a bayfront walk, and a Wonderland evening once the medal is earned.
Getting there after you land
Fly into Changi, about 20 km east of the city center. The MRT station is in the basement of Terminals 2 and 3. From Terminal 1 or Terminal 4, ride the free SkyTrain or shuttle bus across first. Tap a contactless card at the gate, no ticket is needed, and change at Tanah Merah for the city bound train. On race weekend, land on Friday at the latest, ride the MRT in daylight, and keep Saturday for rest rather than travel.
MRT, East West Line
One change at Tanah Merah puts you at City Hall, and you tap a contactless card.
Bus 36Cheapest
The scenic budget route through Marine Parade to Orchard and Dhoby Ghaut.
Taxi, metered
Metered and regulated, from the ranks outside arrivals at every terminal.
Grab and Gojek
Ride hailing from designated pick up points at every terminal.
Two arrival facts matter on race weekend. The last MRT leaves Changi at about 11:18 pm, so a late Friday landing means a taxi or a pre booked transfer. A metered taxi also carries a S$6 to S$8 airport surcharge. Every option is priced in our Changi airport to city center guide, where you get every option priced and compared.
The full first hour: Singapore guide
The ride in, the first ticket and the first meal, plus where to stay for your first nights in Singapore.
Where to stay, and getting back
The guide names three first night picks, and on race weekend the central bases fill first. For a Splurge, Marina Bay Sands at 10 Bayfront Avenue is the three tower icon with the rooftop infinity pool, on the Marina Bay side that the MRT ride to City Hall serves as the natural landing point. Staying on that side keeps the race weekend base and the festive evening base in the same district.
For Mid-range, Hotel Jen Orchardgateway offers a rooftop pool over Orchard Road with direct MRT access, at the end of the bus 36 route. For Budget, Hotel 81 Bugis on Middle Road puts you between Kampong Glam and the MRT, a practical base for an early Sunday start and an easy ride back to Changi after the weekend. Book any of the three earlier than usual for this weekend.
The first hour, sorted
Cards and contactless work almost everywhere, including the MRT, so just tap your Visa or Mastercard via SimplyGo. City MRT fares run S$1.28 to S$2.57 by distance. Keep a few dollars for hawker centers, and withdraw S$50 to S$100 at a Changi ATM if you need cash.
The guide names Airalo for an eSIM, and Changi has free wifi, but you will want data the moment you clear immigration for Grab and maps. Tap water is safe to drink and meets WHO standards, so refill often: in this heat and humidity, hydration is part of the race plan.
For a first meal, head to a hawker center within the hour. The guide points to Maxwell, Amoy or Old Airport Road, and names Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice at Maxwell Food Centre for silky poached chicken over fragrant rice, a gentle first meal for a Friday arrival.
Start with the guide, then plan the days around the race. Browse the events calendar for what else is on, including Christmas Wonderland, and use plan your trip to line up the rest.
A Maxwell hawker stall, Chinatown shophouses and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple: recovery day stops after the race.
Get the Singapore first hour checklist by email
The ride in, the first ticket and the first meal, in the Singapore guide PDF you can read on the plane.
The checklist, free, from After You Land.
What else is on
The events calendar tracks every guided city, strikes and stoppages included.
Events calendarLine up the rest
Plan your trip pulls the guide, the stays and the bookings for this trip into one place.
Plan your trip