Camping permit Singapore: a plan for a group of 12

A camping permit in Singapore is free from the National Parks Board (NParks) at the designated areas of Pasir Ris Park and East Coast Park, but it is issued per tent: each tent needs one permit, for up to six people. A group of 12 therefore needs at least two permits, applied for at least two weeks and up to two months before the camping date. NParks says a permit cannot be cancelled, even if it rains.

That rule matters more when haze is about. NEA reported on 4 September 2026 that the 24-hour PSI had entered the Unhealthy range in the central region, the first time due to haze since 8 October 2023. By 8pm on 16 October the 24-hour PSI was 159 to 222, in the Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy range, and NEA’s haze update of 16 October forecast 150 to 230 for 17 October. A permit you cannot give back needs a Plan B written before the night.

This method works through an illustrative camp for 12 people on Friday 11 December 2026, using only NParks and NEA pages, first read on 3 October and rechecked on 17 October 2026. Two of the NParks pages date from 2023 (see below), so recheck the rules on the day you book. The AXS booking system was blocked from our research environment, so booking screens, availability, cut-off times and refund terms are unchecked.

How many camping permits does your group need?

Take the larger of two numbers: people ÷ 6 rounded up, or the number of tents. That is our reading of NParks’s “each tent requires 1 permit, for up to 6 persons”.

• 1–6 people in one tent: 1 permit.
• 7–12 people in two tents: 2 permits.
• 12 people in four small tents: 4 permits, because the rule is per tent.

NParks lists “do not have any existing camping permit” among the requirements to apply. Our reading is one permit per person, so two permits means two holders. NParks’s pages do not spell this out and we could not open the booking system, so ask AXS or NParks before you rely on it. The holder is also responsible for the use and cleanliness of the camping area, and the permit is non-transferable. To add or remove campers, NParks says to use AXS.

Illustrative example (fictional): twelve friends and relatives, two tents, one night. Holder A and holder B each plan to apply for one permit for the same area and date (whether two permits can be booked side by side is unchecked), and each uses one of their four camping days that month, on our reading that one booked night is one camping day.

When do you apply? A timeline for Friday 11 December 2026

NParks says to apply at least 2 weeks before the camping date and up to 2 months in advance. Counting 14 days back from Friday 11 December gives Friday 27 November 2026 as the last day. Counting two calendar months back gives Sunday 11 October 2026 as the earliest day; if NParks counts 60 days instead, the first day would be Monday 12 October. Either way, on 17 October 2026 the window for 11 December is already open. NParks does not say how it counts, and AXS cut-off times are unchecked, so treat these dates as our reading and do not leave the application to the last day. For a later date, count the same way.

• Sunday 11 October 2026: the window opened on our reading (Monday 12 October if NParks counts 60 days). On the same reading, barbecue pit applications for 11 December opened that day too, first come first served.
• Now, from 17 October: choose the park and area, name two holders and check each one’s eligibility, including camping days already booked in December, then apply for the permits and the pit together (our suggestion), because pits go first come first served.
• Friday 27 November 2026: the last day on our reading. Treat it as a hard stop, not a target.
• Thursday 10 December 2026, evening: check NEA’s latest haze advisory and 24-hour PSI forecast, if one is being issued, and the weather forecast, then make the Plan B call.
• Friday 11 December, 9am: the camp opens. Saturday 12 December, 9am: it ends.

What does a 9am-to-9am camp mean for the barbecue?

The pit and the camp run on different clocks, which leaves two gaps.

• 9am to 12pm Friday: tents can go up, but the pit is not yet available.
• 12pm to 10.30pm: the pit window, fixed by NParks.
• 10.30pm Friday to 9am Saturday: no pit. Pasir Ris Park does not allow a camping stove or portable grill near your tent, and East Coast Park strictly bans open fires, including camping stoves and portable grills. The barbecuing etiquette list also says not to start an open fire or use a naked flame outside the barbecue pit.

On our reading, cooking over a flame is possible only at a booked pit between 12pm and 10.30pm on Friday, so plan breakfast as pre-cooked, cold or bought food. NParks says both parks have eateries but gives no opening hours.

NParks’s barbecuing etiquette list says not to set up structures such as tentages, tables or chairs around the barbecue pit, and that tentages are not allowed even if it rains. It also bans LPG cylinders, refillable gas cylinders, portable stoves and generators. Our suggestion: keep seating at the camp, cook at the pit and carry food between them. For quantities, see our potluck plan for twelve; for hiring a park room for a larger party, see our park venue rental comparison.

Pasir Ris Park or East Coast Park: what do NParks’s pages say?

Both have two designated areas with toilets and barbecue pits. NParks says you can camp anywhere inside the area, with tents at least 5 metres apart.

• Pasir Ris Park (updated 9 October 2025): Area 1 (pits 1–23, Carpark A) and Area 3 (pits 34–45, Carpark D).
• East Coast Park (updated 15 December 2023): Area D, except Cyclist Park (pits 25–40, Carparks D1, D3, D4, D5) and Area G (pits 59–80, Carpark G).

NParks does not say which suits which group. The overview says camping is permitted only at designated areas in certain parks, but its list of parks did not load in the page text we read, so this guide covers only the two parks above. The East Coast Park and overview pages are the oldest, so recheck them on the booking day. The pages we read carry no closure notice, but that is not confirmation that an area is open on your date.

What is the Plan B if it rains or the PSI is Unhealthy?

Because the permit cannot be cancelled or moved, a called-off night means the date is lost, on our reading. The pages we read do not say whether an unused day counts towards the 4-day cap or whether a pit fee is refundable, so ask AXS before you pay.

NEA says to use the 1-hour PM2.5 reading for immediate activities and the 24-hour PSI forecast to plan ahead (its 2 October update; the 16 October update is the latest we read, and it forecast 150 to 230, Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy, for 17 October). Read the newest update on the evening before your camp. NEA’s advice is about outdoor exertion and does not mention camping, so these thresholds are our rule for the group.

1. Before booking: name who makes the call and when, such as one holder at 2pm on the day, and put it in the group chat.
2. Moderate forecast, PM2.5 Normal (Band 1): NEA advises normal activities for all groups. Go ahead. If PM2.5 reads Elevated (Band 2), NEA advises healthy people to reduce strenuous outdoor activity for the next hour, and the elderly, pregnant women, children and people with chronic lung or heart disease to avoid it.
3. Unhealthy forecast (24-hour PSI from 101): NEA advises healthy people to reduce prolonged or strenuous outdoor exertion, the elderly, pregnant women and children to minimise it, and people with chronic lung or heart disease to avoid it. If anyone in those groups is coming, switch to Plan B. If everyone is a healthy adult, cut strenuous activity and agree an early finish.
4. Very Unhealthy forecast (above 200): NEA advises vulnerable people to avoid or minimise outdoor activity, and its 16 October update, for an Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy forecast, told healthy people to avoid prolonged or strenuous outdoor exertion. Stand down. If the 1-hour PM2.5 reads High (Band 3), that update tells healthy people to avoid strenuous outdoor activity and everyone else in the groups above to avoid all outdoor activity for the next hour.
5. Heavy rain: NParks’s park etiquette page (last updated 16 June 2026) says to check the weather forecast before a visit and to seek shelter during bad weather, with no thresholds. Agree your own, such as going home rather than waiting out a storm.
6. Plan B venue: the same meal at home, or a covered venue you are allowed to use. Our haze and rain Plan B guide covers events more broadly.

NEA’s 4 September release also covers N95 masks and when vulnerable people should seek medical attention.

What to check before you apply

• Headcount and tents, turned into a permit count, with two named holders who meet the eligibility list.
• One park and area, with the pit you want inside the same area.
• Your dates: the earliest day, the last day and the evening-before check.
• Questions for AXS: can two permits be booked side by side for one area and date, is a pit fee refundable, and does an unused day count towards the cap.
• A food plan for the 10.30pm-to-9am gap, and the stove rule for your park.
• The Plan B caller, thresholds and venue, agreed in the group chat (see our group plan guide).
• The NParks pages and NEA advisory again on the day you book. More outing planning is under the planning topic.

Common questions