NDP 2025: Crowds gather at Marina Bay as celebrations extend beyond Padang for the first time, Singapore News
More than 200,000 are expected to be in the area to be part of Singapore's 60th birthday bash.
Among the crowd was a Singapore couple, who arrived as early at 2.30pm to secure good spots to watch the festivities and even set up a tripod to capture photos.
Soaking in the National Day Parade atmosphere for the first time were 20-year-olds Ashraff and Haini, who are especially looking forward to the fireworks — particularly the special SG60 finale feature at the end.
Ashraff also surprised Haini with her favourite perfume, given in celebration of her birthday three days earlier, as they enjoyed a picnic with a spread of food.
Another Singaporean who was in the thick of action with her immediate and extended family was 30-year-old Jean Toh.
Toh's family, who usually gather at their parents' house to watch the celebrations on TV, arrived around 2pm to reserve good spots for the event.
She also said that her 8-year-old son was especially excited to see the fly-past. 'Take Singapore as an inspiration'
Ato Wright, who arrived from Ghana, West Africa, on Aug 6, said he was very impressed by Singapore's success.
Speaking to AsiaOne, the YouTuber, also known as Red Ringo, credited former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and Singapore's leadership as key reasons for his interest in the country.
"A country like Ghana has so many resources, but we suffer because of poor leadership and corruption. I hope we can learn from Singapore, and I will keep telling people back home about Singapore," said Wright, adding that he sees Singapore as an inspiration for education, leadership, and technology.
"I always take Singapore as an inspiration for developing countries."
Wright, who will be in Singapore for a week, said that during his visit, he managed to explore religious sites and cultural areas.
He also shared his love for Maxwell Food Centre and tried different types of food, including Indian, Chinese, Malay, and Vietnamese cuisines during his stay.
To commemorate the SG60 milestone, the scale of NDP 2025 is different from previous parades with the national day live show extended from Padang to Marina Bay for the first time.
This year's NDP will also feature a first-ever "Jump of Unity" with the Red Lions and Naval Divers landing at two iconic locations: the Padang and Marina Bay.
[[nid:721156]]
xingying.koh@asiaone.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
8 hours ago
- CNA
Estimated 170,000 people turned up to celebrate Singapore's 60th birthday bash in heartlands.
Singapore's 60th birthday bash continued with celebrations in the heartlands on Sunday. An estimated 170,000 people turned up in five areas to witness the Mobile Column - the country's advanced military and emergency response assets. This is part of the plans to bring highlights from Saturday's National Day Parade closer to the public. They were also treated to performances and took part in art activities. Nasyrah Rohim with more.
New Paper
9 hours ago
- New Paper
More Singaporeans shunning US travel over safety, discrimination concerns: Survey
Singaporean travellers are increasingly avoiding the United States this year - far more so than their Southeast Asian neighbours - citing concerns over safety, discrimination, gun violence and the political climate. A survey commissioned by CNBC Travel of 6,000 travellers from Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia found that 55 per cent of Singaporeans said their interest in visiting the US had declined this year - in sharp contrast to the 18 per cent in the region who felt that way. Only 7 per cent of travellers from Singapore said their interest in the US had increased, much less than the 44 per cent of Southeast Asian respondents. The survey, conducted between May 22 and June 10, also found that Singaporeans were more likely to cite personal safety, poor treatment or discrimination, gun violence, actions by the Trump administration, and border detentions as reasons for avoiding the US. The CNBC report was shared on Reddit and sparked mixed reactions. While some users shared positive recent travel experiences, others pointed to rising unease and suggested alternative destinations such as Canada, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China and Europe. "Lol we are the only country with visa exemption to the US in the region (excluding Brunei) and we have the least interest in going there, ironically," said Redditor Mozartonmoon. "Just went to the US in June and it was smooth for me (ig it depends on the officers but Singaporeans in general shouldn't have a hard time passing through)." they added. "Anecdotal, but I just came back from a couple weeks road trip in the US. Went to the Grand Canyon, Zion, Yellowstone and Grand Teton. All were staffed, maintained and amazing, no different from the previous time I was there," said another Redditor, lzx1. But not all the comments were so upbeat. "It's bad. My relatives who live in the US tell us not to come, lol. It's pretty wild since they used to invite us or always asked when we would be coming over," said Redditor kingsky123. Shibiwan, a Singaporean living and working in the US, recommended staying away for now. "There's just too much crazy over here right now. Guns are really not a big worry though. Hopefully we'll see a regime change at the next election. Re-evaluate then. I work in the tourism sector over here and we are currently down about 25% year-on-year."
New Paper
13 hours ago
- New Paper
Actress Eleanor Lee wins lawsuit against ex-assistant who doctored her audio recording
China-based Eleanor Lee has won a lawsuit against a former assistant who edited an audio recording which got the Singaporean actress into hot water with Chinese netizens. The 25-year-old daughter of local Taiwan-born host Quan Yifeng was in the news in May for allegedly making derogatory comments about the people of China, which she denied. On May 21, a netizen claiming to be her former assistant posted an apology on Chinese social media platform Weibo and admitted to posting the edited recording. On July 29, Lee's agency wrote on Weibo that it had received the Chinese court's Certificate of Judgment Enforcement and attached the document. "Eleanor Lee has always loved and respected Chinese culture and stood firm in her position," the agency wrote. "We firmly defend her legal rights and urge everyone to refrain from believing or spreading rumours, to jointly resist false information and build a clean cyberspace." The agency also shared a post from Mr Yang Shuguang, a senior partner from Hai Run Law Firm, who shared a legal statement on the progress of the case. The statement said the court had issued a ruling on June 23, with the ruling taking effect on July 17. It also noted that the false content posted online by the former assistant had damaged Lee's reputation, causing her mental distress and affecting her business activities. "The court ordered the defendant to run a statement of apology to Eleanor Lee on the defendant's Weibo account for 60 consecutive days, and to pay damages to her for mental stress, legal costs and other financial losses," said the statement. It also said the legal firm has identified several social media accounts which maliciously fabricated and spread false information, and stated that it will continue to monitor these users. "If the relevant network users still fail to promptly delete the infringing content they have posted after the release of this statement, or continue to commit the infringing acts, our lawyers will promptly collect additional evidence and file a lawsuit in court with the client's authorisation." The furore began when a netizen claiming to be Lee's former assistant released a poor-quality audio recording that lasted about 30 seconds on Weibo in April. In the recording, which features much background noise and some muffled words, a woman is heard saying she is "doing this not for fame, but for money" and that "most people in China are idiots". The incident gained traction after the media in China and Taiwan reported on it in May. Lee has not updated her social media accounts since posting a video clip on May 21, in which she gave her side of the story. There is no word if her role in the upcoming Chinese period drama, The Journey Of Legend, will be affected by the saga. Shi Hang Law Firm, which is representing the producers of the show, said in a statement posted on Weibo on July 29 that it is planning to take legal action against certain online users who have been spreading false information and continuously posting defamatory content about the series.
