Tanks, fire engines to roam heartlands as part of National Day celebrations

SINGAPORE — Vehicles from the Army and the Home Team are set to traverse the island on Aug 10, a day after their appearance at the National Day Parade (NDP).

Starting from the F1 Pit Building, they will travel along four designated routes where the public can get up close with these vehicles before they make their final stop at five heartland sites — Jurong East, Punggol, Woodlands, Wisma Geylang Serai and Bishan.

Chairman of the NDP heartlands committee, Colonel Lim Lit Lam, said that the event was organised to bring “a slice of NDP to the heartlands”.

“We are having the mobile columns; we will have the carnivals by PA (People’s Association) and then we will have fireworks just like what Singaporeans will experience on Aug 9,” he said.

As the vehicles move off at 2.30pm, the public can search for the time these vehicles will arrive in their neighbourhoods on the NDP website, but before they reach their final stops at 6.45pm.

A live stream of the vehicles moving on the roads will also be available online.

This is the third time a mobile column has been organised, with other instances in 2010 and 2015, but the first time they were being taken to the heartlands.

Chairman of the NDP celebrations and mobile column committee Colonel Yeo Hwee Bin shared that the vehicles were carefully chosen to “represent every part” of the Army, Air Force, Navy and the Home Team in the event.

Some crowd favourites in the vehicles showcased include the Leopard 2SG, Light Strike Vehicle and the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s Red Rhino.

Festivities at the selected heartland sites are expected to kick off from 3pm onwards.

Activities such as drone flying and pony rides, as well as fireworks displays, will be held in various neighbourhoods, as part of a larger series of activities coordinated by the PA.