Haw Par Villa has Reopened & a New Attraction, Hell’s Museum Will Open in October

In October last year, the authorities announced that it would close Haw Par Villa to the public for around 5 months.

This meant that residents and the three tourists we had from abroad would have to wait quite sometime before they could take selfies with chicken-headed women, pig-headed men, and other monstrous creations.

At the time, the Singapore Tourism Board said it was using the “downtime” where there was reduced footfall due to COVID-19 to expedite the completion of upgrading works.

Well, these works have finally been completed and visitors can now return to the surreal theme park.

Haw Par Villa has Reopened & a New Attraction, Hell’s Museum Will Open in October

Haw Par Villa reopened its doors to the public on Thursday (1 July) after a nine-month closure.

The upgrading works included enhanced night lighting and conservation work for sculptures. Ventilation for the 10 Courts of Hell diorama was also improved.

The 10 Courts of Hell, perhaps the biggest attraction in the theme park, is still closed and will reopen as part of a new attraction, Hell’s Museum, in October.

It depicts in detail the torture and punishments that await sinners in the afterlife.

Sounds like a great way to spend the weekend with your kids.

Though it was supposed to open next month, Hell’s Museum will open on 28 October instead.

The delay, as you might have guessed, was caused by constraints in manpower and supplies brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Little History

Did you know that this little theme park was around before Singapore even attained its independence?

Once known as Tiger Balm Gardens, the park was built in 1937 by Myanmar-born businessman Aw Boon Haw for his brother, Aw Boon Par.

The park was named after the Tiger Balm medical ointment that the siblings’ father had created, according to Visit Singapore.

The theme for the park was inspired by Boon Haw’s deep passion for Chinese culture and mythology.

Boon Haw, who created many of the parks original fixtures, hoped that the park’s depiction of traditional virtues would provide moral guidance to the public.

The park was redeveloped in the 1980s by the Singapore Tourism Board and is now a popular tourist destination and every kid’s nightmare.

Haw Par Villa hasn’t yet commented on whether they will be making their sculptures wear masks, so if you happen to visit their residents, do keep a safe distance of 1 metre.

The operating hours for the theme park is from 9am to 10pm. Admission, as always, is free.

Featured Image: Google Maps