Chingay Parade 2016 to highlight values fostered by founding fathers

SINGAPORE — Core values fostered by our founding fathers will be brought to light at the 44th Chingay Parade, to be held on Feb 19 and 20 at the F1 Pit Building in the Marina Bay area.

At the first media conference today (Jan 7) for the annual Chinese New Year event, organisers said that the theme “Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore” was chosen because it marks the “beginning of our new chapter to SG100”.

The opening segment of the parade, titled “Voyage SG100”, will show an all-inclusive contingent of 800 youth performers atop a majestic float, symbolising a youth-led nation for the next 50 years towards Singapore’s 100 years of independence.

People’s Association, the parade organisers, will be collecting drawn sky lanterns signed by Singaporeans — expressing values such as racial harmony, social cohesion, integrity, prudence and a can-do Singapore spirit — and will be displaying 8,000 of them as the highlight of the parade’s grand finale.

Children and youth in primary and secondary schools will be encouraged to draw, on cubes provided by organisers, their dream homeland of Singapore in 2065. Mr Ang Hak Seng, chief executive director of People’s Association, said: “Only when we live our values as one people, will we have a brighter Singapore. (A) brighter Singapore is about confidence in our future, so what best way to capture (that) by asking the youth.”

To allow audiences to be part of the lights and sounds, the 25,000 people at the spectators’ stands for each night will be given hand-held light bulbs.

The parade opening and finale will be specially choreographed and is the biggest ever full-scale illuminated show in the Chingay history, with 8,000 performers this year and a total of 50 parade contingents: 40 contingents from Singapore and performance troupes from 10 countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia.

This year’s Chingay will be the first to introduce a joint performance by 30 religious organisations and groups. Deacon Matthew Kang, chairman of New Creation Church, said: “We hope that this will further evoke the sense of pride among our people, among Singaporeans, that indeed Singapore is a nation (that has) inter-racial and inter-religious harmony — and we are really, really proud of that.”

Classic Chinese New Year symbols will still be there, highlighted this year by the world debut of a 66m LED-lighted flying dragon, made from Shaanxi, China for the parade.

Tickets for the parade are available at SISTIC from S$28.50.