Capitol & CHIJMES’ Fully Booked Domes Are Open For Walk-Ins, Try Your Luck Till 3 Jan 2021

By Rachel Yohannan on 10 Dec 2020

Senior Digital Editor

Crazy cat lady who loves afternoon tea, kawaii Japanese fashion, and all things Sanrio.

It seems like the theme of this year’s Christmas festivities is dome dining experiences. The first was an underwater fine-dining dome pop-up at SEA Aquarium, which was followed by a free garden dome set-up at Capitol Singapore with board games and musical instruments to play with. Joining them is CHIJMES, which has a similar experience on their lawn.

The bad news is that the free domes at Capitol and CHIJMES are all fully booked online. But the good news? They’re also open for walk-ins - tried and tested by us - so it’s definitely possible to try your luck from now till 3 January 2021.

Read on to find out more about dome dining at Capitol Singapore and CHIJMES!

- Dome dining at Capitol Singapore -

Photo from Capitol Singapore

Just a quick recap on the garden domes at Capitol if you missed our previous article - there are 10 to pick from, each furnished with either plush chairs or sofas. Free board games are up for rental, and one of the domes even has a keyboard and acoustic guitar.

Photo from Capitol Singapore

You are allowed to use the domes for free, but the only catch is that you’ll have to order food from any of the mall’s F&B outlets. This can be as simple as a cake from Flor Patisserie, or a whole set meal from restaurants like Frieda and 15 Stamford by Alvin Leung.

Check out our first article on dome dining at Capitol here.

- Dome dining at CHIJMES -

Photo from CHIJMES

Now, CHIJMES also has a dome dining set-up on their lawn that’s also free-of-charge. The experience works in the same way, but is slightly different - while Capitol has daily snowfall sessions, CHIJMES instead has a mini musical projected on the grand colonial building that is their main hall.

Photo from CHIJMES

This whimsical light show brings the story of The Nutcracker to life, complete with ballet twirls by the Sugar Plum Princess and sword fights between the Nutcracker and Mouse King. Each projection mapping show lasts a couple of minutes and happens in 30-minute intervals from 8pm to 11pm daily, so there are plenty of chances for you to catch it!

Photo from CHIJMES

The domes here do not come with board game rental, but they’re all well-decorated with tinsel garlands and festive red flowers, illuminated by the strings of fairy lights dangling from the trees overhead. Cafes and restaurants you can purchase food and drinks from include Hvala, El Mero Mero, and Senor Taco, among many others.

Photo from CHIJMES

By right, you’ll need an online reservation in order to use the domes, but there have been many instances of last-minute cancellations and no-shows. In such cases, the domes will then be left open for walk-ins, so go on and try your luck!

We arrived at around 8.30pm on a weeknight, and hung around for less than half an hour just soaking up the ambience before a dome became available - not too bad considering how highly sought-after these are. You’d probably have more luck on weekdays/weeknights, and off-peak hours.