Giant ‘SingaPop’ floral displays, free shows at Gardens by the Bay in August

SINGAPORE — Purple and pink orangutans standing amid orchid and flower arrangements. Orchids decorated around a giant bowl of ice kacang, a popular dessert of shaved ice with syrup and red beans.

They are not floats during the National Day Parade but special displays that Gardens by the Bay has put up as part of the activities that the park has lined up for the public in conjunction with the National Day celebrations next month.

In all, some 15,000 orchids from more than 80 varieties will be on show at the Flower Dome together with displays featuring familiar Singapore landmarks and objects.

Besides the orangutans and ice kacang, there will be a Malay hut, a giant capteh (traditional shuttlecock) and a miniature version of a public housing block that is so colourful it looks more like a stage prop than a Housing and Development Board block.

From Aug 5 to 31, Singaporeans and those residing here will receive S$4 off each admission ticket to Flower Dome to visit the Orchid Extravaganza – Our SingaPop Edition. This means adults will pay S$8 while senior citizens aged 60 and above as well as children aged three to 12 will pay S$4.

The various floral displays are put together by composer-singer Dick Lee and designed by costume designer Yang Derong.

Mr Lee, who is also the creative director of the National Day Parade this year, said that the displays are tied to popular culture, to provide an “interesting visual way” of representing the Singaporean identity.

“It is my first time trying to represent that (identity) visually, fill it with colours, with a nod to our multicultural heritage and yet be modern and contemporary,” Mr Lee said at a media preview on Thursday (July 25).

Mr Lee is also the producer behind performances titled The Scourge of the Swordfish and The Friendly Snake that visitors may catch next month at the gardens.

Staged on two weekends — Aug 2 to 4 and Aug 16 to 18 at two locations within the gardens — the folk tales tell of how the Bukit Merah district got its name, as well as the friendship between a little girl and a snake.

There will also be a two-day event, the Gardens by the Bay and Mediacorp National Day Concert, to be held at The Meadow.

The free concert will take place on the weekend of Aug 10 and 11 from 6.30pm, and will feature various artistes such as Kit Chan, Rahima Rahim, Kumar, Aisyah, Fakkah Fuzz, Jasmine Sokko and more.

The nightly light and sound show at Supertree Grove will have a change of programme to feature 11 songs by Singapore singers and musicians such as Joanna Dong, Rani Singam, Vocaluptuous and Linying.

Mr Felix Loh, chief executive officer of Gardens by the Bay, said that the free outdoor performances are a way to “thank all Singaporeans” and to encourage “intergenerational bonding” as visitors walk through the flower displays.

Discounted tickets to the Flower Dome will apply to Singapore citizens, permanent residents and those living in Singapore, including holders of employment passes, work permits or dependent passes.

All performances are free. They will carry on in the event of a drizzle but will be cancelled in heavy rain.