SINGAPORE: Snow City, the country's first indoor snow centre offering activities and entertainment for visitors, will be closing after 26 years.
The attraction's owner, Science Centre Singapore, announced on Tuesday (May 19) that the facility will end operations on Sep 30.
Its closure, which has sparked an outpouring of sadness online, marks another loss in Singapore's tourism landscape.
From water theme parks with towering slides to the country's first public aquarium, CNA looks at five iconic attractions that have come and gone.
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A view of the grounds of Big Splash at East Coast Park, Singapore. (Photo: TODAY file)
Best known for its multicoloured five-lane slide, Big Splash was a sprawling water theme park that opened in East Coast Park in 1976.
The park claimed that its slides, which were up to seven storeys high, were the highest and longest in the world when the theme park opened.
It was Singapore's first seawater aquatic complex and featured pools with sand bottoms to simulate a visit to the beach for visitors.
Besides its water facilities, Big Splash also had an open-air theatre, food kiosks and an arcade.
People sliding down a five-lane slide at Big Splash in East Coast Park, Singapore. (Photo: Facebook/SG Heritage Memories/Aravindhan Ravikumar)
Although it remained popular for years, Big Splash faced increasing competition from new water theme parks such as Sentosa's Fantasy Island and Wild Wild Wet in Pasir Ris.
The original water park closed in 2006 and reopened in 2008 as a lifestyle and dining hub named Playground@Big Splash.
It shut its doors after 40 years of operations in October 2016, after its lease expired. The site was returned to the government for redevelopment and is now occupied by Coastal PlayGrove, a play area with features that pay tribute to its iconic predecessor.
A view of Fantasy Island, a water theme park at Sentosa, Singapore. (Photo: Anchorage Construction Co website)
Fantasy Island, another water theme park, opened in 1994 in Sentosa. It had 32 slides, including a huge eight-lane structure that visitors would race down using boards.
The 7.1ha park cost S$52 million to build and about 6.3 million litres of water were needed for its slides alone.
Several accidents, including the drowning of an eight-year-old, occurred at Fantasy Island before it closed in 2001.
Its site is now home to Universal Studios Singapore amusement park.
Tang Dynasty City was a theme park in Jurong, Singapore, which was designed as a mini replica of the ancient Chinese city Chang'an. (Photo: Facebook/Serine YJ)
Hong Kong tycoon Deacon Chiu Te-ken launched Tang Dynasty City in 1992, hoping that it would be the birthplace of a Chinese movie industry in Singapore.
The theme park, which also housed three movie studios, was a mini replica of the ancient imperial city Chang'an.
It mimicked landmarks from the historic capital, including Daming Palace, Zhao Zhou Bridge and Wild Goose Pagoda.
The 12ha park also had daily performances by stunt and dance troupes from China, artisans who demonstrated how Chinese pottery and woodcarvings were made, as well as re-enactments of imperial court life in the Tang dynasty.
Originally named Tang Dynasty Village, it opened in Jurong and was the film site for several high-profile movies, such as All's Well, Ends Well Too (1993) by Hong Kong director Clifton Ko, headlined by Cantopop stars Sam Hui and Leslie Cheung.
Though Tang Dynasty City's opening generated much media buzz and excitement, the park struggled to draw a steady stream of visitors.
In 1995, it had 400,000 visitors, while competing attractions such as the Singapore Zoo and Jurong Bird Park drew more than a million that year.
Tang Dynasty City's aspiration to become the "Hollywood" of Singapore also faced challenges. The careful attention paid to replicating the buildings in Chang'an backfired because the site was too historically specific, making it suitable only for movies set in that era.
Efforts to reverse the park's woes, such as waiving admission fees during the evening and introducing new facilities, did not improve the situation substantially.
It shuttered in 1999 and discussions to revive the site never materialised. It was demolished in 2009.
A woman walking past the Merlion statue on Sentosa Island in Singapore on Sep 11, 2018. (Photo: AFP/Jewel SAMAD)
Singapore's tallest Merlion statue was completed in 1996 on Sentosa Island, standing at 37m.
The mythical creature was first conceived as a tourism icon, bearing the head of a lion and the body of a fish.
This sculpture, when erected on Sentosa, came with its own "legend" that the Merlion would visit the resort island to guard Singapore.
Visitors were able to take an elevator up to the Merlion's mouth and the top of its head, where they could look out and take in views of the vicinity.
At night, the sculpture was lit with neon lights during a daily light show.
Plans to demolish the sculpture were announced in 2019. This was to make way for the Sentosa Sensoryscape, a 350m garden walkway.
Sentosa's management said that it would not relocate the Merlion sculpture because of its size.
Van Kleef Aquarium was Singapore's first public aquarium. (Photo: Facebook/Heritage SG Memories/Red Win Yvonne)
Singapore's first public aquarium opened in 1955 in Fort Canning, named after the Dutch businessman whose estates funded the attraction's construction.
It was fully air-conditioned, had its own water supply, and housed nearly 6,500 fish of more than 180 varieties.
Van Kleef Aquarium faced a number of setbacks before its opening. Its imported seawater was reportedly thrown away once due to pollution by the aquarium's turtles, and all its saltwater fish died due to noxious gas emitted by coral displays in the tanks.
Problems with maintaining the aquarium's fish continued after opening until they were resolved by its curator Alec Fraser-Brunner.
Despite the difficult start, Van Kleef Aquarium enjoyed decades of popularity.
However, the 1980s brought new competitors such as the Singapore Zoo and Jurong Bird Park.
In 1986, Van Kleef Aquarium's average daily attendance was 856 visitors – around half the number it had during its first few months of opening.
It closed in 1991 and reopened the same year as World of Aquarium. The revamped attraction closed in 1993 due to poor business and opened again as Fort Canning Aquarium a few months later.
The change failed to breathe much life into the aquarium and it shut permanently in 1996.
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The attraction's owner, Science Centre Singapore, announced on Tuesday (May 19) that the facility will end operations on Sep 30.
Its closure, which has sparked an outpouring of sadness online, marks another loss in Singapore's tourism landscape.
From water theme parks with towering slides to the country's first public aquarium, CNA looks at five iconic attractions that have come and gone.
CNA Games
Show More Show Less
A view of the grounds of Big Splash at East Coast Park, Singapore. (Photo: TODAY file)
BIG SPLASH
Best known for its multicoloured five-lane slide, Big Splash was a sprawling water theme park that opened in East Coast Park in 1976.
The park claimed that its slides, which were up to seven storeys high, were the highest and longest in the world when the theme park opened.
It was Singapore's first seawater aquatic complex and featured pools with sand bottoms to simulate a visit to the beach for visitors.
Besides its water facilities, Big Splash also had an open-air theatre, food kiosks and an arcade.
People sliding down a five-lane slide at Big Splash in East Coast Park, Singapore. (Photo: Facebook/SG Heritage Memories/Aravindhan Ravikumar)
Although it remained popular for years, Big Splash faced increasing competition from new water theme parks such as Sentosa's Fantasy Island and Wild Wild Wet in Pasir Ris.
The original water park closed in 2006 and reopened in 2008 as a lifestyle and dining hub named Playground@Big Splash.
It shut its doors after 40 years of operations in October 2016, after its lease expired. The site was returned to the government for redevelopment and is now occupied by Coastal PlayGrove, a play area with features that pay tribute to its iconic predecessor.
A view of Fantasy Island, a water theme park at Sentosa, Singapore. (Photo: Anchorage Construction Co website)
FANTASY ISLAND
Fantasy Island, another water theme park, opened in 1994 in Sentosa. It had 32 slides, including a huge eight-lane structure that visitors would race down using boards.
The 7.1ha park cost S$52 million to build and about 6.3 million litres of water were needed for its slides alone.
Several accidents, including the drowning of an eight-year-old, occurred at Fantasy Island before it closed in 2001.
Its site is now home to Universal Studios Singapore amusement park.
Tang Dynasty City was a theme park in Jurong, Singapore, which was designed as a mini replica of the ancient Chinese city Chang'an. (Photo: Facebook/Serine YJ)
TANG DYNASTY CITY
Hong Kong tycoon Deacon Chiu Te-ken launched Tang Dynasty City in 1992, hoping that it would be the birthplace of a Chinese movie industry in Singapore.
The theme park, which also housed three movie studios, was a mini replica of the ancient imperial city Chang'an.
It mimicked landmarks from the historic capital, including Daming Palace, Zhao Zhou Bridge and Wild Goose Pagoda.
The 12ha park also had daily performances by stunt and dance troupes from China, artisans who demonstrated how Chinese pottery and woodcarvings were made, as well as re-enactments of imperial court life in the Tang dynasty.
Originally named Tang Dynasty Village, it opened in Jurong and was the film site for several high-profile movies, such as All's Well, Ends Well Too (1993) by Hong Kong director Clifton Ko, headlined by Cantopop stars Sam Hui and Leslie Cheung.
Though Tang Dynasty City's opening generated much media buzz and excitement, the park struggled to draw a steady stream of visitors.
In 1995, it had 400,000 visitors, while competing attractions such as the Singapore Zoo and Jurong Bird Park drew more than a million that year.
Tang Dynasty City's aspiration to become the "Hollywood" of Singapore also faced challenges. The careful attention paid to replicating the buildings in Chang'an backfired because the site was too historically specific, making it suitable only for movies set in that era.
Efforts to reverse the park's woes, such as waiving admission fees during the evening and introducing new facilities, did not improve the situation substantially.
It shuttered in 1999 and discussions to revive the site never materialised. It was demolished in 2009.
A woman walking past the Merlion statue on Sentosa Island in Singapore on Sep 11, 2018. (Photo: AFP/Jewel SAMAD)
SENTOSA'S MERLION
Singapore's tallest Merlion statue was completed in 1996 on Sentosa Island, standing at 37m.
The mythical creature was first conceived as a tourism icon, bearing the head of a lion and the body of a fish.
This sculpture, when erected on Sentosa, came with its own "legend" that the Merlion would visit the resort island to guard Singapore.
Visitors were able to take an elevator up to the Merlion's mouth and the top of its head, where they could look out and take in views of the vicinity.
At night, the sculpture was lit with neon lights during a daily light show.
Plans to demolish the sculpture were announced in 2019. This was to make way for the Sentosa Sensoryscape, a 350m garden walkway.
Sentosa's management said that it would not relocate the Merlion sculpture because of its size.
Van Kleef Aquarium was Singapore's first public aquarium. (Photo: Facebook/Heritage SG Memories/Red Win Yvonne)
VAN KLEEF AQUARIUM
Singapore's first public aquarium opened in 1955 in Fort Canning, named after the Dutch businessman whose estates funded the attraction's construction.
It was fully air-conditioned, had its own water supply, and housed nearly 6,500 fish of more than 180 varieties.
Van Kleef Aquarium faced a number of setbacks before its opening. Its imported seawater was reportedly thrown away once due to pollution by the aquarium's turtles, and all its saltwater fish died due to noxious gas emitted by coral displays in the tanks.
Problems with maintaining the aquarium's fish continued after opening until they were resolved by its curator Alec Fraser-Brunner.
Despite the difficult start, Van Kleef Aquarium enjoyed decades of popularity.
However, the 1980s brought new competitors such as the Singapore Zoo and Jurong Bird Park.
In 1986, Van Kleef Aquarium's average daily attendance was 856 visitors – around half the number it had during its first few months of opening.
It closed in 1991 and reopened the same year as World of Aquarium. The revamped attraction closed in 1993 due to poor business and opened again as Fort Canning Aquarium a few months later.
The change failed to breathe much life into the aquarium and it shut permanently in 1996.
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