Marina Barrage Singapore - Rooftop Dam and Park

Ways to Experience this attraction

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Marina Bay Sands Yacht Cruise

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Marina Barrage, Singapore Overview

Marina Barrage is both a flood-control rooftop dam and a stunning park with a gob-smacking skyline view of Singapore, located at the southern tip of the main island, and a short walk away from Gardens by the Bay. Although its primary function serves as a dam, Marina Barrage is rather popular for recreation on its green, roof-top expanse which is always scattered with local flying flashy kites.

The elevated section of grass extends breathtaking panoramic views of the city making it a popular sunset viewing point. Recreational activities like boating, kayaking, windsurfing and dragon-boating take place in the Marina Basin. The Marina Barrage is built on the confluence of five rivers, encompassing the main dam extending from Marina East to Marina South, forming Singapore's 15th reservoir. A Solar Park is located at the dam site featuring one of the most extensive collections of solar panels in Singapore.

The Sustainable Singapore Gallery, located on the ground floor of the barrage, houses interesting images and archival footage of the Singapore River (before its astounding makeover), along with a working model of the Marina Barrage. The Visitor Centre organises tours highlighting the wonderous art installations and sculptures dotted along the entire location.

Marina Barrage Night Picnic

Since the park is open 24 hours, the Marina Barrage is an excellent place to visit during the night time. Families come here for a picnic with a spectacular view. The green stretch makes it a perfect spot for kids to fly their kites and watch the water fountains underneath.

To enjoy a kite flying session at night, the kites are available at the park starting from SGD 15. At SGD 28, Kites with LED light strips attached are available for the young ones to have fun.

Sustainable Singapore Gallery Tour

The Marina Barrage also has its own gallery tour at zero cost. It starts with a broad narrative of Singapore's water challenges through a more in-depth account of the benefits while overlooking the Marina Reservoir, shifting the visitor's attention to the nine crest gates and the seven drainage pumps including the vessel impact barriers.

The 45-minute tour takes place every day except Tuesday. The maximum members on board are 80.
Tour timings: 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:30 PM, 2:30 PM, and 4:00 PM

Art Trails and Sculptures at Marina Barrage

The Marina Barrage has random, thought-provoking artworks around its premises.

One of it is a 6.95-metre tall sculpture which consists of painting on a life-size replica of the seven pumps functioning in Marina Barrage. When filled to its half, each cylinder rolls over and empties itself and rolls back to its original position.
Another artwork is called the Force of Nature, which depicts a woman aiming to harness the force of nature and Earth. It is supposed to symbolize the strong bond between humans and nature and highlights the need to honour and conserve nature.
Created by artist Iskandar Jalil, Beneficence-3 was unveiled by the Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. This artwork signifies Singapore's three pillars of progression-Commerce, Culture and Environment and the three benefits gained from the barrage-Water supply, Flood control and Lifestyle attraction.
Another artwork 'Gold Flow' is a gift from Vienna to Singapore. It was presented to commemorate the close ties between the two cities.
The Community Wall was revealed during the official opening of Marina Barrage, on 31st October 2008. It consists of 500 tempered unique glass tiles. Every tile is peculiar and a water-like visual effect is achieved by the glass catching sunlight in the day and spotlights at night.
Another famous sculpture is of a man standing on the globe and extending his arm to point at, which encircles him and returns to point at him. This piece illustrates the concept of reaping what we saw and the importance of environmental sustainability.

Purpose of Marina Barrage

Created mainly for three reasons - to provide water, flood control and a recreation centre, the Marina Barrage is an SGD 3 billion project that turns Marina Bay and Kallang Basin into a reservoir of fresh water. This is the first reservoir of city and 15th of Singapore's. The Barrage acts as a barrier to keep seawater out and alleviates flooding in low lying areas like Chinatown, Geylang and Jalan Besar. The crest gates are lowered to release excess water from the reservoir to the sea, in times of rains.

During heavy showers and high tides, crest gates remain closed. Massive drainage pumps out excess water into the sea. Since the Marina Basin is kept unaffected by the tides, water levels are kept steady so that recreation goes on. Marina Barrage has bagged the Superior Achievement Award, the highest honour for best project entry at the AAEE Annual Awards in Washington DC, by beating thirty-three other entries. This became the second project out of the United States to win an award in the last decade.

How To Reach Marina Barrage

Bus: The Marina Barrage is located at 8 Marina Gardens Drive, Singapore. Bus 400 stops at a distance of 3 minutes from the park.

MRT: The nearest MRT Station is the Bayfront MRT Station Exit B, from which the park is at a distance of a 20-minute walk.

Walk: The Marina Barrage can be easily reached by a 10-minute walk via a marked path from the Gardens by the Bay.

Car: For those travelling to the dam via a taxi or car, there is a dedicated car parking area at the site.

Need to Know

Visit the dam and the rooftop park during the evening to relish a bewitching view of Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands, Cloud Forest, Singapore Flyer and the numerous skyscrapers.