Merlion Park and Singapore’s waterfront symbol
Published on 08/16/2026 at 13:51 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Merlion Park in Singapur centres on the Merlion, a white sculptural landmark with a lion’s head and fish’s body beside Marina Bay. The figure stands 8.6 m (28 ft) high and was designed by Kwan Sai Kheong with sculptural work by Lim Nang Seng.
The Merlion as the park’s focal point
The park’s identity is tied to a single object rather than a broad landscape. The Merlion is the official mascot of Singapore and the best-known of the country’s authorised Merlion statuesofficial mascot. Its 1972 unveiling by Lee Kuan Yew places it firmly in Singapore’s post-independence public imagery1972 unveiling.
The sculpture’s form is easy to read from a distance: a mythic creature, a directed spray of water, and a pedestal beside the waterfront. The park gathers this image into one small urban setting, where the Merlion Cub stands nearby as a smaller companion figureMerlion Cub.
Marina Bay, One Fullerton and the park setting
Merlion Park sits at One Fullerton, at the Marina Bay waterfront, in front of the Fullerton Hotel. That location gives the statue an open edge rather than a garden enclosure, with water and high-rise frontage forming the immediate frameMarina Bay waterfront.
The move to the present site took place in 2002, after the Esplanade Bridge altered the view from the river mouth2002. The park therefore reads as a waterfront landmark with an earlier river setting behind it, while the current position keeps the statue in clear relation to Marina Bay and the bay-facing promenade.
Materials, proportions and the smaller companion statue
The main Merlion is a concrete sculpture wrapped around a steel frame and painted white. It weighs 70 tonnes, which gives the figure a physically heavy presence even in an open public spaceconcrete wrapped.
A smaller Merlion Cub stands nearby, keeping the site visually layered without changing its basic focus. The pair makes Merlion Park less a general park than a compact setting for a national emblem, where sculpture, water and waterfront frontage share the same framesmaller Merlion Cub.
Visiting Merlion Park: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Merlion Park is at One Fullerton on the Marina Bay waterfront, and Raffles Place MRT is the nearest rail reference commonly used for reaching the area. The setting is urban and flat, with paved ground around the waterfront edge.
- The main feature is the sculpture itself, so the visit is about close viewing rather than a large park circuit. The statue’s height and weight are part of the site’s character, and the Merlion Cub adds a second scale beside it.
- The park stands beside the bay, with the Fullerton Hotel on one side and open water on the other. That arrangement makes the statue read against both architecture and water in the same view.
- English is one of Singapore’s official languages, and the currency is the Singapore dollar.
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Frequently asked questions about Merlion Park
Where is Merlion Park?
Merlion Park is at One Fullerton on the Marina Bay waterfront in Singapur. It faces the bay and sits beside the Fullerton Hotel.
What can be expected on a visit?
The visit centres on the Merlion statue, the smaller Merlion Cub and the waterfront view. The ground around the park is level and urban rather than landscaped in a formal garden style.
What makes Merlion Park distinctive?
The park is defined by the Merlion itself: an 8.6 m-high emblem designed by Kwan Sai Kheong and sculpted by Lim Nang Seng. Its combination of sculpture, water and bay frontage gives the site a clear visual identity.
