Indian life in Singapore: food, festivals and entertainment

Singapore is home to 483,199 overseas Indians. Here is where to find Indian food, festivals and entertainment there. For the Indian embassy and NRI services, see NRI services in Singapore.

Where to find Indian food and shops

Little India, along Serangoon Road, is the heart of Indian Singapore: the Tekka Centre's hawker stalls, banana-leaf restaurants, sweet shops, flower-garland stalls and shops open late into the night. Komala Vilas on Serangoon Road has served South Indian meals since 1947; Annalakshmi, run by volunteers of the Temple of Fine Arts, and Saravanaa Bhavan, the Chennai chain, are also in Singapore.

Festivals and celebrations

Deepavali is a public holiday, and Serangoon Road is lit up for weeks before it, with a festival bazaar. At Thaipusam, devotees walk in procession from the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple to the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple.

Heritage and culture

The Indian Heritage Centre in Little India, a national museum, tells the story of Indians in Singapore and the region. New Indian films open in Singapore's cinemas in the same week as in India.

Overseas Indian figures: Ministry of External Affairs, as of January 2026.