Halimah Yacob to host first Hari Raya open house at Istana as President

SINGAPORE — In what is President Halimah Yacob's first Hari Raya celebrations as Singapore's Head of State, the Istana grounds will be open to the public on June 15.

The Istana Open House, to be held from 8.30am to 6pm, will see President Halimah hosting underprivileged children and youth, as well as their caregivers.

"Hari Raya is a time for celebration, reflection and spending time with our families. It is also a time for us to practise generosity to those around us, so amidst the festivities, let us also not forget those who may be less fortunate within our community," said President Halimah.

"I am happy that some children and youths from various social service organisations, some of whom I have met during my community visits, are able to join me at the Istana Open House."

The children, aged 7 to 18 years old, come from various social service organisations, including Boy's Town and Muhammadiyah Welfare Home. They will be joined by representatives from the homes and their families.

The children will be hosted to a magic show and tea at the West Drawing room in the Istana, as well as meet President Halimah and her husband, Mr Mohammed Abdullah Alhabshee.

Members of the public can look forward to a variety of activities lined up at the Istana Open House. These include performances by People's Association, St. Hilda's Secondary School and Anglo Chinese School (Independent). Woodlands Secondary School will also be heading a Malay Dance performance.

Other highlights include a display of birds by Wildlife Reserves Singapore, a balloon sculpting booth by Singtel, a Henna painting booth by Cognizant, and carnival games.

Visitors can also sign up for various tours around the Istana, such as the Nature Guided Walk, as well as go on a guided tour of the Istana main building through some of the function rooms and a display of state gifts presented by foreign dignitaries.

Visitors can go on a self-guided tour with the help of the "Istana Garden Walk" mobile application, which includes maps of Places of Interest within the Istana and a self-guided Plants Trail featuring 10 types of beautiful plant species in the Istana Gardens.

Entry to the Istana grounds is free for Singaporeans and Singapore permanent residents on June 15. All other visitors are required to pay an entry fee of S$2 per person.