August 9th — the day the whole family sits by the television at 8pm to spot any celebrities lip-syncing on live TV.
This year’s NDP will be a little different, with the parade going down at the Padang, where the first NDP was held in 1966. Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen shared with Parliament on Thursday that the parade will respect both Singapore’s history and make history with the biggest firework and aerial display.
The theme for this year’s Golden Jubilee NDP will be 'Majulah Singapura' (onward Singapore), said to be a “rallying cry to all of us to move forward as one people to overcome our challenges and more. And we have succeeded.”
He said that this NDP will share the story to remind Singaporeans about the nation's humble origins and to appreciate the efforts of our pioneer generation and leaders.
Previously only available to those attending the parade, this year the "funpacks" will be distributed to each of Singapore’s 1.2 million households. “This will allow everyone, at home watching their TVs or out, to wave the same banner, slap the same clappers all over the island," remarked Dr Ng.
Oddly enough, the “funpack” and its contents look void of the SG50 branding, which might raise a few eyebrows especially after a blog questioning the overuse of the SG50 logo.
After requests from the organising committee to allow as many Singaporeans to witness the “historic” NDP, spots around the Marina Bay area – including the Floating Platform, Merlion Park, the Promontory, Marina Bay Sands Event Plaza and Gardens by the Bay will be open to the public, with some hosting giant LED screens for live telecasts.
These new additions to the parade won’t come cheap. The parade at the Padang will amount to as much as previous years – $20 million – but extra sites and facilities will add up to about twice that of past NDPs. The 1.2 million “funpacks” alone will come up to $10 million, some of which will be paid for by corporate sponsors.
Additionally, organisers will have to worry over safety of the 7,000 participants and 51,000 ticketed audience members. Dr Ng said, “We are working with Ministry of Home Affairs, but we need members of the public to take personal responsibility too.”
He added that Singaporeans should not “diminish” civility and cleanliness by discarding litter around the Marina Bay Area. “Organisers will provide more rubbish points, but I am flagging out safety and cleanliness early, so that it enters our collective consciousness…” Perhaps the Defence Minister wants to avoid another Facebook post from PM Lee on the mess left behind at Laneway Festival earlier this year.
MP Irene Ng suggested inviting the participants of Singapore’s first NDP to this year’s celebrations. Dr Ng agreed, and said, “The NDP Organising Committee thought it would be useful to reprise…the old NDP marching contingents, so there will be a vintage parade, which means nurses in their old costumes, policemen in their shorts.”
Photo: Nicolas Lannuzel via Flickr; NDPeeps Facebook page; MINDEF
Got a tip? Send it to us at singapore@coconuts.co.
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August 9th — the day the whole family sits by the television at 8pm to spot any celebrities lip-syncing on live TV.
This year’s NDP will be a little different, with the parade going down at the Padang, where the first NDP was held in 1966. Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen shared with Parliament on Thursday that the parade will respect both Singapore’s history and make history with the biggest firework and aerial display.
The theme for this year’s Golden Jubilee NDP will be 'Majulah Singapura' (onward Singapore), said to be a “rallying cry to all of us to move forward as one people to overcome our challenges and more. And we have succeeded.”
He said that this NDP will share the story to remind Singaporeans about the nation's humble origins and to appreciate the efforts of our pioneer generation and leaders.
Previously only available to those attending the parade, this year the "funpacks" will be distributed to each of Singapore’s 1.2 million households. “This will allow everyone, at home watching their TVs or out, to wave the same banner, slap the same clappers all over the island," remarked Dr Ng.
Oddly enough, the “funpack” and its contents look void of the SG50 branding, which might raise a few eyebrows especially after a blog questioning the overuse of the SG50 logo.
After requests from the organising committee to allow as many Singaporeans to witness the “historic” NDP, spots around the Marina Bay area – including the Floating Platform, Merlion Park, the Promontory, Marina Bay Sands Event Plaza and Gardens by the Bay will be open to the public, with some hosting giant LED screens for live telecasts.
These new additions to the parade won’t come cheap. The parade at the Padang will amount to as much as previous years – $20 million – but extra sites and facilities will add up to about twice that of past NDPs. The 1.2 million “funpacks” alone will come up to $10 million, some of which will be paid for by corporate sponsors.
Additionally, organisers will have to worry over safety of the 7,000 participants and 51,000 ticketed audience members. Dr Ng said, “We are working with Ministry of Home Affairs, but we need members of the public to take personal responsibility too.”
He added that Singaporeans should not “diminish” civility and cleanliness by discarding litter around the Marina Bay Area. “Organisers will provide more rubbish points, but I am flagging out safety and cleanliness early, so that it enters our collective consciousness…” Perhaps the Defence Minister wants to avoid another Facebook post from PM Lee on the mess left behind at Laneway Festival earlier this year.
MP Irene Ng suggested inviting the participants of Singapore’s first NDP to this year’s celebrations. Dr Ng agreed, and said, “The NDP Organising Committee thought it would be useful to reprise…the old NDP marching contingents, so there will be a vintage parade, which means nurses in their old costumes, policemen in their shorts.”
Photo: Nicolas Lannuzel via Flickr; NDPeeps Facebook page; MINDEF
Got a tip? Send it to us at singapore@coconuts.co.
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Use your Coconuts, subscribe to our newsletter:
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First Name
Last Name
(function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';fnames[1]='FNAME';ftypes[1]='text';fnames[2]='LNAME';ftypes[2]='text';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true);