The 2026 edition brings total funds raised since 2013 to more than S$52 million, building on 12 years of collective giving to benefit local charities
The 12th edition of Marina Bay Sands’ signature charity event, Sands for Singapore Charity Festival 2026, concluded yesterday after raising a record sum of over S$7 million. Funds raised will support local charities that empower persons with disabilities, uplift low-income families, and support vulnerable communities from youths to seniors across Singapore.
The 2026 edition brings the cumulative contribution to local charitable causes to more than S$52 million since Sands for Singapore Charity Festival started in 2013, reflecting 12 years of collective giving and community partnership.
This year’s Festival continued to expand opportunities for the public to make a difference through new initiatives such as Dine for Good, a month-long fundraising campaign across 12 celebrity chef and signature restaurants, and Impact Match, an interactive digital game supporting NorthLight School students. These complemented returning Festival favourites such as the Good Bites Market, featuring five gourmet pop-ups from Marina Bay Sands, as well as the Giving Marketplace, complimentary performances by local artistes, and the Community Chest Heartstrings Walk and Race to the Sky Vertical Marathon.
Marina Bay Sands Team Members were engaged in five weeks of volunteering activities (from L to R):
Sands Cares Global Hygiene Kit Build with Clean the World; active seniors from Care Corner Singapore led Team Members in beading wristlets; Team Members befriended beneficiaries from MINDS at ArtScience Museum’s teamLab Future World
Throughout the Festival season, Marina Bay Sands’ Team Members participated in volunteering activities supporting a wide range of social causes, contributing close to 145,000 volunteer hours since the integrated resort’s opening in 2010. Highlights included assembling 30,000 hygiene kits for vulnerable communities in Singapore and the Philippines through the Sands Cares Global Hygiene Kit Build, creating beaded wristlets led by seniors from Care Corner Singapore’s Active Ageing Centre, and befriending adults with intellectual disabilities from MINDS during an outing to ArtScience Museum’s teamLab Future World.
Mr Paul Town, Chief Operating Officer at Marina Bay Sands, said: “We are deeply heartened by the generosity of the public, our Team Members and partners in rallying behind charitable causes through the annual Sands for Singapore Charity Festival. Hospitality is fundamentally about bringing people together, and we believe that ability can be harnessed to strengthen communities and create positive impact beyond our doors. In addition to contributing to Singapore’s economic and tourism success, we are committed to helping strengthen the social fabric of our community through philanthropy, volunteerism and long-term partnerships. We hope the Festival continues to inspire more people to recognise that every contribution, no matter its form, has the power to uplift lives and strengthen communities across Singapore.”
Amplifying collective giving through local arts and culture
The Festival opened on 28 August with a vibrant celebration of music, culture and community spirit. Headlining the opening night was Singaporean singer and multi-hyphenate artist RRILEY, a founding member of popular local pop quartet The Sam Willows, who captivated audiences with a medley of her well-loved hits and invited festivalgoers to sing along, transforming her performance into a shared celebration of music and togetherness.
The opening ceremony also shone a spotlight on inclusion and community through performances by Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities (THKMC) Brave Hearts Ensemble, an inclusive performing arts group formed by residents of the THK Home for the Disabled at Eunos, and Wheelsmith, a Singaporean rapper with muscular dystrophy who has used his talents in hip-hop and competitive sports to advocate for greater understanding of disability and champion ability.
Across the three-day Festival, local bands 53A, The Vibes and SuperSonic kept audiences entertained with energetic performances spanning pop, rock and crowd favourites. The final evening also celebrated emerging talent through dance performances by Distinct Creative Arts, ITE College West, LitefeetSG and NTU MJ, showcasing the creativity and diversity of Singapore’s next generation of performers.
Celebrating Singapore’s love for food while giving back
Food took centrestage at this year’s Festival through the month-long campaign Dine for Good and Good Bites Market at Event Plaza, transforming everyday dining experiences into a platform for giving back.
Returning favourites included Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer, which served its iconic burgers, classic milkshakes and craft beers to a wider audience, and Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay, which delighted crowds with exclusives such as Gordon’s Fried Chicken.
RISE, Marina Bay Sands’ signature buffet restaurant, brought Singapore’s culinary heritage to the Event Plaza through local favourites, celebrating the rich flavours and stories that define the nation’s food culture. They were joined by newcomers Café Nesuto and Roberta’s Pizza, two retail tenants who expanded opportunities for guests to participate in collective giving while enjoying wood-fired pizzas, pastas, pastries and other crowd favourites.
Complementing the Festival weekend was Dine for Good, a month-long fundraising campaign across 12 celebrity chef and signature restaurants at Marina Bay Sands. Through 12 hallmark dishes ranging from gourmet comfort food to signature specialties, including Maison Boulud’s Coq Au Vin and Yardbird’s Chicken & Waffles, diners contributed directly towards the same cause simply by enjoying a meal with friends and family throughout August.
Proceeds will be channelled to AWWA’s Enabled Living @ Bedok programme, a community co-living pilot launched in December 2025 to empower persons with disabilities to live more independently within public rental housing. One of five pilot sites across Singapore, the programme provides tailored support in areas such as daily living skills, social and community participation, enabling residents to build confidence, greater independence and stronger connections within the community.
The initiative builds on Marina Bay Sands’ longstanding partnership with AWWA, which has included support for its recently completed Transitional Shelter programme for displaced families. Beyond funding, Marina Bay Sands Team Members have volunteered their time to assemble furniture, retrofit and paint shelter units, helping to create welcoming temporary homes for families rebuilding their lives.
Turning play into purpose at Impact Match
One of the Festival’s new highlights, Impact Match, transformed gameplay into tangible support for NorthLight School students. Festivalgoers of all ages raced against time by matching identical essential school supplies in rows or columns, assembling 1,088 digital school packs over three evenings at the Event Plaza. Every completed school pack contributed towards Marina Bay Sands’ support for NorthLight School students in their development and to provide financial assistance to those in need.
This initiative builds on Marina Bay Sands’ ongoing partnership with NorthLight School, which extends beyond the classroom through learning journeys, workplace attachments and employment opportunities across the integrated resort.
Mr Lee Seck Kuang, Vice Principal of NorthLight School, said: “We are grateful to Marina Bay Sands for its generous support and for creating meaningful initiatives like Impact Match, which enable all ages to play a part in giving back. The funds raised will support our mission of providing future-ready and values-driven education, reinforcing our belief that every young person can thrive when given the right support, encouragement and opportunities to succeed.”
Discovering various causes through Giving Marketplace
The popular Giving Marketplace was reimagined with a boutique-inspired concept that gave 12 local non-profits, social enterprises and small businesses a more curated and visually engaging space to showcase their crafts and share the stories behind their causes. The refreshed format offered a more experiential avenue for visitors to discover purpose-driven brands while connecting with the communities they support.
Highlights included handcrafted cookies by apprentices with disabilities from APSN, lifestyle products and corporate gifts created by artists with disabilities at ART:DIS, and whimsical earrings and miniature dinosaur sculptures by The Shy Crafter. All proceeds were retained by participating organisations, supporting initiatives that create opportunities for persons with disabilities, seniors, caregivers and disadvantaged individuals through skills development, employment and entrepreneurship.
Advancing a more caring and inclusive Singapore
Since becoming co-organisers of the Community Chest Heartstrings Walk and Race to the Sky Vertical Marathon in 2011, Marina Bay Sands and Community Chest have united the community through one of Singapore’s most enduring outdoor fundraising events. This year’s edition brought together around 3,700 individuals, families, corporate partners and community members, turning every step and climb into meaningful support for communities in need across Singapore.
The day began with the Race to the Sky Vertical Marathon, where 188 individuals challenged themselves to scale 57 storeys to the iconic Sands SkyPark in the fastest time possible. As the sun set, thousands of participants gathered for the Community Chest Heartstrings Walk, enjoying a scenic route around Marina Bay while championing a shared vision of a more caring and inclusive Singapore. Funds raised will support more than 300 critical social service programmes and projects, benefiting over 94,000 social service users, including persons with disabilities, youth-at-risk, families and seniors in need, and persons with mental health needs.
Mr Jack Lim, Managing Director of Community Chest Singapore, said: “Long-term partnerships with the corporate partners and community are key to ensuring that critical help reaches those who need it most. The impact is real: about one in four persons with mental health needs supported by Community Chest-funded programmes recorded significant improvements in their quality of life. We are grateful for Marina Bay Sands’ steadfast support over the past 15 years through the Sands for Singapore Charity Festival and the thousands of participants who have come together year after year to uplift the lives of individuals and families in need.”
To learn more about Marina Bay Sands’ community engagement activities, visit https://www.marinabaysands.com/company-information/corporate-social-responsibility.html.
