Shaping Hearts 2026 has interactive art, workshops, and performances from 12 to 27 Sept
Art should be for everyone, and there’s no single way to experience it. It can be touched, heard, brought to life through movement, and shaped by an entire community, so people of all ages and abilities get to take part.
That’s the idea behind Shaping Hearts 2026, Singapore’s largest inclusive arts festival organised by the North East Community Development Council (CDC), which will transform Punggol Digital District into a colourful playground from 12 to 27 Sept 2026.
Source: Shaping Hearts
First launched in 2019, Shaping Hearts was created to give artists with disabilities a platform to gain recognition through art and build greater independence through their creative work.
As the festival has grown, so has its focus on making inclusion part of the wider community conversation. Beyond admiring the artworks, visitors can explore interactive installations, make art of their own, and experience the festival through sound, texture, motion, and sight.
Browse artworks by artists with disabilities and watch them paint live
At the heart of the festival is a collection of works created by artists with disabilities from across Singapore.
Source: Shaping Hearts
The exhibition gives these artists a platform to share their perspectives and creativity with a wider audience. Visitors who find a piece they connect with can also purchase it online, with all proceeds going directly to the artist.
Visitors can also watch the creative process unfold at Campus Boulevard on 13 Sept. From 12.30pm to 2.30pm, Shaping Hearts artists will take part in live painting sessions, bringing their ideas to life before visitors’ eyes.
Source: Shaping Hearts
Artists will also share their craft through workshops during the festival weekends.
Vincent Seet will lead several coffee painting sessions using coffee grounds, acrylics, and watercolours, while Ong Chee Hwee will guide participants in personalising Singapore-inspired tote bags on 27 Sept. Visitors can also try making batik using kits designed by youths with disabilities from Arts@Metta.
Whether you’re after a meaningful addition to your home or just want to discover more local talent, there are plenty of ways to connect with the artists and support their work.
Source: Shaping Hearts
Explore 16 pop-up booths
But Shaping Hearts isn’t just about admiring the exhibits from a distance.
Across four immersive playgrounds, visitors can bring digital creations to life through movement, experiment with sound and texture, and contribute to collaborative displays.
Families heading down on 13 Sept can catch Playdate@PDD, a one-day programme that transforms Campus Boulevard into an inclusive playground from 9am to 3pm.
Sixteen pop-up booths by local creators, youth groups, and community groups will offer activities designed for visitors of different ages and abilities.
Source: Shaping Hearts
Participants can also pick up an exclusive Playdate@PDD Passport, visit all four zones to collect tickets, and redeem a goodie bag while stocks last.
Create a digital pinwheel that moves
Beyond the one-day event, the Motion Playground keeps the fun going throughout the festival.
Here, visitors can colour their own pinwheels using accessible touchscreen kiosks or paper colouring sheets. Their designs then appear alongside other submissions on a large screen, gradually forming a colourful digital garden.
Motion sensors make the experience even more interactive, allowing visitors to spin their digital pinwheels simply by moving their bodies. The kiosks are also positioned at different heights so children, adults, and wheelchair users can participate comfortably.
Make cyanotype prints, colourful keepsakes, and community art
For something more tactile, head to the Texture and Visual Playgrounds, where you can make, build, and contribute to larger community artworks.
At the Texture Playground, natural objects such as leaves and flowers are used to create cyanotype prints, while younger visitors can get hands-on with building blocks featuring similar blue-and-white designs.
The Visual Playground, meanwhile, is home to Canvas Unbound, which invites visitors to colour flowers onto the display and help build up a shared artwork over the course of the festival.
Source: Shaping Hearts
There’s a similar collaborative spirit at Little Doodles, Big Wishes, where participants colour pre-outlined pieces inspired by artists’ works, then add kind messages, symbols, or drawings before contributing their creations to a larger hanging display.
Other collaborative workshops include Shared Ground Between Us, where participants sketch their favourite neighbourhood spots for a communal map, and Movement Leaves a Mark, which turns their movements into three-dimensional lines for a shared sculpture.
Source: Shaping Hearts
And even if you don’t end up purchasing an artwork, you can still leave with something you made yourself. Weekend activities include making 3D pen magnets, beaded charms, mosaic coasters, and airbrushed hanging mobiles, so you’ll have a little keepsake to remember the day by.
See, hear, and feel music in different ways
Art isn’t just something we see, and the Rhythm Playground proves that by shifting the focus to sound.
At the interactive sound stations, families can experiment with tubes of different heights and pitches, while vibrations move materials such as grains and appear as waveforms on a screen, making sound something visitors can see and feel as well as hear.
Those who need a breather can retreat to a calming sensory room featuring gentle sound, light, scent, props, and movement. On weekends, visitors can also try a Huawei VR experience that uses AI to give two-dimensional artworks greater depth and bring them to life in an immersive setting.
There’s plenty to watch and listen to as well, with live performances taking place across the three festival weekends. The line-up includes Drum Prodigy, the SAAS Percussion Ensemble, MINDS DreamChasers, and Extra•Ordinary People, alongside theatre production See Hear Touch by The Finger Players.
Source: Shaping Hearts
To explore at your own pace, follow the 12-stop audio trail around Punggol Digital District and scan the QR codes or tap the NFC tags to hear stories from artists and workshop participants. Along the way, you can also collect four stamps to redeem a free gift.
Visit Shaping Hearts 2026 at Punggol Digital District
With art you can see, hear, touch, and even help create, Shaping Hearts 2026 makes for a genuinely fun day out, and a real chance to discover the work and perspectives of artists with disabilities.
Here’s everything you need to know to plan your trip:
Shaping Hearts 2026
Address: Nexus, Punggol Digital District, 88 Punggol Way, Singapore 829913
Dates: 12 to 27 Sept 2026
Opening hours: 10am to 8pm daily
Nearest MRT station: Punggol Coast
With plenty happening throughout the festival, it’s worth checking the official programme on the Shaping Hearts 2026 website before deciding when to visit.
For more updates, follow Shaping Hearts on Instagram and the North East CDC on Facebook.
This article was brought to you in collaboration with Shaping Hearts, organised by North East CDC.
Featured image adapted from Shaping Hearts, Shaping Hearts, and Shaping Hearts.
