NDP 2015 to be held at Padang and Marina Bay floating platform

SINGAPORE — The Marina Bay area will set the stage for Singapore’s biggest National Day Parade ever, with two locations to be set aside the for the parade — the Padang and the Marina Bay floating platform — and elements of the parade to take to the streets to move from one venue to the other.

LED screens screening the parade live will be set up around the Marina Bay area including the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) Event Plaza, the Promontory and the Merlion Park, so that those in the area can join in the fun, while two sites — Marina Bay and the Marina Reservoir — will be set aside for the fireworks, which organisers said would be able to be seen from Gardens by the Bay.

Graphic: MINDEF

Together, the area can accommodate more than 150,000 people.

And to further spread the National Day cheer, every Singaporean and permanent resident household — 1.2 million in all — will get a fun pack come July. The fun packs will come in 50 designs — contributed by celebrities, prominent Singaporeans and other members of the public — conveying what they love most about Singapore.

Sharing details on the parade during the Ministry of Defence’s Committee of Supply debate today (March 5), Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said: “There have been many calls to the NDP Organising Committee to allow as many Singaporeans as possible to share in this historic 50th NDP. There is a limit to the number of people that can watch the show on the Padang, but I am happy to announce that we have changed the format so that many more people can share in this moment on Aug 9th, 2015. We do want to make this Golden Jubilee celebration special for as many Singaporeans as possible.”

The fun-pack will feature nostalgic favourites like chaptek, a traditional game that requires players to keep a feathered shuttlecock in the air, as well as a commemorative collectible Singa lion plush toy that comes in 15 different designs.

Graphic: MINDEF

Other highlights include the annual air show with over 50 aircrafts involved this year and the aerobatics performance by the Black Knights, and the Vintage Parade, which showcases performers in old military and civil service uniforms.

Details on ticket balloting for both venues will be announced at a later date, and the public will be able to choose their preferred parade site.

Dr Ng said the cost of the NDP at one site in previous years has been about S$20 million, including the cost of logistics, equipment for rehearsals, the four National Education and preview shows and the actual show. This year’s parade costs will increase to about twice that of previous parades. The 1.2 million fun packs will cost an additional S$10 million, part of which will be supported by corporate sponsorships, Dr Ng added.