SINGAPORE — Next year’s Chingay promises to be the biggest and grandest in its 42-year history to mark the nation’s Golden Jubilee and will involve more participants and performers than ever.

About 11,000 performers are expected to take part in the street parade themed We Love Singapore, up from the 8,000 who took part in last year’s. The number of foreign contingents will also be doubled to 15 at Chingay 2015, which will take place at the F1 Pit Building.

The parade will also showcase one million flowers, handmade by people from all walks of life using recycled plastic bags. Through a nine-month long Community Engagement Programme that began in April, the People’s Association (PA) intends to rope in some 500,000 Singaporeans to make the We Love SG flowers, which will be used to decorate the floats and costumes.

“I feel very privileged and honoured to be part of this project because it is a national event. It’s the first time that such plastic flowers are being made, so it’s a very creative and proud thing for me to do for my nation,” said Mr Lim Wei Jie, an ITE College Central student leader who is involved in the making of the flowers.

To date, more than 300,000 Singaporeans have created some half a million We Love SG flowers.

For the first time, the Chingay parade will be held over a month in February and include a two-night main parade on Feb 27 and 28. There will also be a Special Surprise segment on Orchard Road on March 1, said Mr Ang Hak Seng, the PA’s chief executive director, yesterday.

Five heartland parades will also be held at Ang Mo Kio, Marine Parade, Bukit Panjang Town, West Coast and Nee Soon, and the public will be allowed to board the floats at the start and end points of each heartland parade, Mr Ang added.

Tickets for Chingay 2015 are now available for purchase through SISTIC.