Maybe you don't celebrate Chinese New Year, or barely have any visiting to do. Or perhaps you just want to get away from nosey relatives and the snack table for a bit. Where do you go? Are you really destined to roam around deserted malls or watching yet another movie? The short answer: no. The answer you really need: Scroll on or click through the slideshow above for 8Days.sg's list of fun things to do in Singapore over Chinese New Year.

Soak in major CNY vibes at River HongBao 2019

Probably the quintessential Chinese New Year event, the River HongBao is back for its 33rd instalment (yes, really) with more dazzling giant lantern displays and spectacular firework displays nightly at 8pm and 10pm (except CNY eve, when it takes place at 10pm, 11pm and midnight). There’s also a myriad of getai shows, and live performances by artistes like Zoe Tay, Shane Pow and Joanna Dong. Gather the whole brood for there are 20 rides and games that’ll delight the whole fam (we’re talking bumper cars, carousels and more) and a plethora of carnival bites for sale, lest you still have stomach space left. Feb 3-10, 2-11pm, at The Float @ Marina Bay.

Explore the Istana

There’s CNY visiting, and then there’s CNY visiting… at the Istana. The first Istana Open House of the year (there are six in 2019) happens on the second day of the Lunar New Year (Feb 6). Okay, so there are no pineapple tarts to stuff your face with here, but you get to tour selected function rooms in the Istana Main Building, gawk at gifts presented to Singapore’s Presidents and Prime Ministers over the years, or enjoy live performances held on the Istana’s sprawling grounds. There are also guided nature walks by NParks — conducted hourly from 10am to 4pm; limited to 20 pax each time — for nature lovers to revel in the flora and fauna at parts of the Istana’s 40ha grounds, which used to be a nutmeg plantation once upon a time.Feb 6, 8.30am-6pm. $2 entrance fee; free for Singaporeans and PRs. Separate charges for guided walks apply. Access Istana via main gate on Orchard Rd.

Watch an underwater dragon dance at S.E.A. Aquarium

Sick of hearing your second uncle gloat about his koi fish year after year? Here’s another suggestion to ring in the Year of the Pig in an auspicious way: hang out at an aquarium, and watch divers perform an underwater dragon dance with a two-metre-long dragon and the numerous adorable cameos by manta rays, sharks, and then some. Until Feb 19, 10am-7pm, at S.E.A. Aquarium at Resorts World Sentosa.

Get your fortune read by expert fortune-tellers

Elsewhere in RWS, 16 fortune-tellers, whose expertise run the gamut from palmistry and numerology to face reading and crystal chakra readings, are on standby throughout CNY at Fortune Street at Festive Walk. You fork out $38 for a complimentary reading by one of the masters who’d usually command fees in the hundreds of dollars (though that’s for a much more comprehensive reading, obviously), we’re told. Feb 5-17, 2pm-12am (Fri-Sun) and 5pm-12am (Mon-Thur) at Festive Walk, $38 per reading.

Chase a dragon at Universal Studios Singapore

 Put on your good running shoes for this one. The Auspicious Dragon Trail snakes through the entire theme park and interacts with the characters at various stops (main pic) — Shrek and Fiona, the Sesame Street gang are among the characters given a huat-tastic makeover just for the festivities. Even Bumblebee gets into his groove like he’s attending a CNY rave partay. It culminates in a Monster Lo Hei at the New York section of the park — besides watching Elmo and co. belt out Lunar New Year tunes, you get a crash course in the fine art of tossing yusheng too. Until Feb 19 at Universal Studios Singapore in Resorts World Sentosa.

Walk off those calories at the Light to Night Festival

Visitors are invited to see, hear, smell and even touch the pieces at this year’s Light to Night Festival. The second part of the festival — the Singapore Bicentennial edition (Jan 28-Feb 24) — is in full swing right now, so that’s a lot of Instagrammable stuff to look forward to. There’s a lot going on, we know, so we trekked round the Civic District, where all the action happens, and tell you what to look out for at the Singapore Art Week installment of the Light to Night Festival over here. Catch Light to Night (Singapore Bicentennial edition) from Jan 28 to Feb 24. Admission is free.

Appreciate Lucy Liu’s art at Unhomed Belongings

Who knew Lucy Liu was an artist? Witness the first-ever documentation of an artistic dialogue between the Charlie's Angels star and Singapore's very own artist, Shubigi Rao. Featuring 15 artworks by the duo, who have never met in person, Unhomed Belongings is an exhibition which reveals striking overlaps in the artists' perspectives, despite their physical distance and different backgrounds. Ongoing until Feb 24, at various timings, at National Museum of Singapore, 93 Stamford Rd, S178897. Admission is free.

Get arty at the National Museum of Singapore: DigiMuse Presents

​​​​​​​Held in conjunction with the Singapore Art Week 2019, the second edition of DigiMuse Presents exhibition showcases installations by local and international designers that bring to life the amalgamation of art, culture and technology. Crawl back into the womb with Sonic Womb, a structure by local designer Randy Chan which allows visitors to explore the process of birth. Visitors can also expect other works ranging from Talking Cheongsams, which features clothing and textiles, as well as Pulse, a tactile playground that showcases digital interpretations of today's urban landscape.Jan 18 – Feb 17, 10am – 7pm, at National Museum of Singapore, 93 Stamford Rd, S178897. Admission is free.

Celebrate CNY with Spring Surprise @ Gardens by the Bay

What better huay to get into the Chinese New Year mood than to surround yourselves with the festivities at Gardens By The Bay? Stroll through the first floral display of the year, Dahlia Dreams, and take OOTDs with over 100 varieties of colourful dahlias alongside other festive blooms in a Chinese garden landscape. Look out for the exquisite Senrinzaki chrysanthemum arrangements, which have been painstakingly cultivated over a period of at least one year, and usher in the Year of the Pig with s-pork-tacular sculptures hidden among the blooms.Jan 28 – Feb 7, at various timings, at Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Dr, S018953 from $12.

Main photo: Resorts World Sentosa