The North East Line is turning into a 23-day design festival, and almost all of it is free. New Everyday Life, By Design (NELBD), presented by the DesignSingapore Council and produced by FARM, runs from 14 November to 6 December 2026 across all 17 North East Line MRT stations, with two main hubs at Dhoby Ghaut and Punggol Coast. There is a stamp-collecting trail with a Lucky Dip, free interactive showcases at both hubs, and a one-day quest with S$4,000 in Grab vouchers on the line. Sony is one of the contributing partners, bringing PS5 accessibility gaming, music installations you control with your body, and a photowalk led by a deaf photographer.
> Quick view: 14 Nov to 6 Dec 2026 · admission free, some programmes need pre-registration · Impact Hub: Temasek Shophouse and Plaza Singapura (Dhoby Ghaut) · Innovation Hub: Nexus at Punggol Coast Mall · hubs open 10am to 10pm daily · stamp trail across all 17 NEL stations · full programme at designsingapore.org/nelbd
What exactly is NELBD
It is a first-of-its-kind design journey built along one MRT line. Every one of the 17 North East Line stations gets a Design Trail totem at concourse level, and the heavier showcases sit in two hubs, one at each end of the Orchard-to-Punggol stretch:
- Impact Hub (Dhoby Ghaut, NE6): split across Temasek Shophouse (28 Orchard Road) and Plaza Singapura (68 Orchard Road), both open 10am to 10pm. For Temasek Shophouse, take Exit F and head towards the Oldham Lane pick-up point. The theme here is design that puts people first: inclusion, care, and rethinking what we buy and throw away.
- Innovation Hub (Punggol Coast, NE18): at Nexus at Punggol Coast Mall (88 Punggol Way, Punggol Digital District), open 10am to 10pm, via Exits 1 or 2. This end looks forward: food of the future, new materials, robotics and climate tech.
Admission to both hubs is free. Selected programmes (talks, workshops, tours) need pre-registration on the official NELBD page.
The free stamp hunt: 8 stamps gets you a Lucky Dip
The Design Trail is the commuter-friendly part. Pick up a free booklet at any SBS Transit Passenger Service Centre along the North East Line (or at either hub), then collect a unique embossed stamp at each station's totem. Eight stamps out of 17 is enough: bring the booklet to the Impact Hub at Plaza Singapura or the Innovation Hub at Nexus to claim an exclusive NELBD sticker pack and a go at the Lucky Dip, where prizes include NELBD merchandise and Grab vouchers. While stocks last, one redemption per person.
NELBD Quest: S$10 entry, S$4,000 top prize (14 Nov only)
On opening day, Saturday 14 November, 8am to 12pm, the NELBD Quest sends two-person teams racing across the line from the Innovation Hub at Nexus, tackling obstacles and quizzes at selected stations. Entry is S$10 per person, registration closes 13 November at 12pm, and the winning team takes home S$4,000 in Grab vouchers plus a pair of Sony headphones each. Register on the NELBD page before the deadline.
What Sony is showing (and where)
Sony's showcases span both hubs under the festival's Impact and Innovation themes:
- Game On, For All (Plaza Singapura and Nexus): hands-on trials of the Access controller for PS5, Sony's modular controller designed for players with disabilities. One catch worth knowing: hands-on at Plaza Singapura runs weekends only, while Nexus at Punggol Coast Mall has daily trials.
- Climate Station (Temasek Shophouse only): an interactive PS5 experience that turns real climate data into something you can play with.
- Nexus Music and Heartbeat Music: two sensing installations. Nexus Music turns your movement into music in real time; Heartbeat Music, exclusive to Temasek Shophouse, reads facial movement and your heartbeat to shape rhythm and lighting.
- Products with Purpose (Plaza Singapura): a showcase of Sony's eco-conscious design, including the WF-1000XM6 earbuds and their plastic-free packaging.
- Picturing New Perspectives (21 and 28 November, Temasek Shophouse): a guided photowalk with photographer Isabelle Lim of issyshoots. Isabelle is a deaf artist, and the walk is built around the many ways of seeing the everyday.
- Seeds of Emotion (28 November, Temasek Shophouse): a sharing session by Gerald Teo, Senior Manager at Sony's Design Center Asia, on how Sony turns sustainability principles into design, from Yuru Street Music to its Milan Design Week furniture.
What this means for you
- It costs nothing to see a lot. Both hubs are free and open 10am to 10pm daily; check dates and register for the free programmes at designsingapore.org/nelbd.
- Time your PS5 Access controller trial. Weekends only at Plaza Singapura; any day at Nexus, Punggol Coast Mall.
- Grab the stamp booklet early in the run. The sticker pack and Lucky Dip are while stocks last, and you only need 8 of the 17 stamps.
- Quest teams, move fast. Registration closes 13 November, 12pm, and it is S$10 per person for a shot at S$4,000 in Grab vouchers.
- Photowalk and talk seats will be limited. Picturing New Perspectives runs 21 and 28 November and Seeds of Emotion on 28 November, both at Temasek Shophouse; pre-register rather than walking in.
Source: Sony Electronics Singapore media release of 10 November 2026; event, hub and programme details verified on the DesignSingapore Council NELBD page on 10 November 2026. Artwork: Sony / DesignSingapore Council.
