December at Esplanade: SSO Christmas concert and Voices

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s Christmas Concert is at Esplanade Concert Hall on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 December 2026 at 7.30pm. Esplanade’s event page pairs Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker with John Rutter’s Gloria and the orchestra’s traditional Christmas singalong medleys. Tickets start at S$36, standard categories run from S$48 (Cat 6) to S$228 (Cat 1), and the admission age is 5 and above.

A week earlier, from Thursday 3 to Sunday 6 December 2026, Esplanade holds Voices – A Festival of Song, its annual festival of vocal music, so a family that sings can plan two December outings at the same centre.

Which category suits a family?

The category is the main price decision, and booking fees change the total. Esplanade’s visitor FAQs list SISTIC fees of S$4 a ticket from S$40.01 to S$50 and S$6 above S$70. A worked example for a family of four (our arithmetic, standard prices):

• Cat 6: 4 × (S$48 + S$4) = S$208.
• Cat 4: 4 × (S$88 + S$6) = S$376.
• Cat 1: 4 × (S$228 + S$6) = S$936.

The page also lists savings of 20% for group or corporate bookings and 10% for SSG Family, Gold Friends or Friends Season Pass holders and donors. It does not say how many tickets make a group or which ticket types these apply to, so check at checkout. The S$36 “from” price is below every standard category, and the page does not say which ticket it refers to.

What is the programme, and does it suit young children?

The page describes “a joyous and colourful evening of celebration” with Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, Rutter’s Gloria and Christmas medley singalongs featuring the Singapore Symphony Choruses. The admission age is 5 and above, and Esplanade’s FAQs say every individual needs a ticket, children included, unless stated otherwise.

Our suggestion for a child at the lower end of that age: the 20-minute interval gives a natural break, and a seat near an aisle or exit makes a quiet exit easier. With a 7.30pm start and a running time of 1 hour 45 minutes, the concert should end at about 9.15pm (our arithmetic), late for a school night on the Friday.

What is on at Voices the same month?

Esplanade’s Voices festival page lists six ticketed events on 5 and 6 December: four singing workshops from S$15 to S$25, Male Ensemble Philippines in Songs of Journey, Songs of Home on Saturday 5 December (from S$32), and The Voices We Meet with the Voices Festival Choir and conductors MI6 on Sunday 6 December (from S$28). The page also promises free singalongs and choral showcases, a new Voices Lounge at the Esplanade Annexe Studio and the Singapore debut of Korean a cappella group Voice Band EXIT, without times for any of them yet.

What don’t the pages say?

• Whether SSO tickets are on sale now. The page shows a Buy tickets button that leads to Esplanade’s booking site, which our connection could not open, and it gives no on-sale date.
• Which ticket the S$36 price is, or a separate child price.
• Times for Voices’ free programmes, and the venue of each Voices session (each event page gives its own).
• Seat availability for either event.

What to check before you buy (our checklist)

• The category, seat and ticket type on the booking page, and whether anyone qualifies for the concession ticket.
• Whether the group saving fits your party, and the booking fee for each ticket.
• SG Culture Pass: the page says to select it as the payment option on the shopping cart page.
• Travel home after a finish of about 9.15pm.

Common questions

For more on spending credits, see our SG Culture Pass guide to year-end shows, and for organising the outing, how to plan a concert outing for a group. Other Esplanade concerts this season are in the Mosaic concerts guide, fees and access in the Esplanade visitor reference, and other December events in the Q4 events calendar. The going-out hub lists the other guides.