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Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
NDP 2026 to be held at National Stadium to accommodate more Singaporeans
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The National Day Parade was last held at the new National Stadium in 2016 - the only time it was held there. SINGAPORE - The National Day Parade (NDP) in 2026 will be held at the National Stadium, Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said on Aug 19. This means that more Singaporeans will be able to watch the parade, as the 55,000-seat stadium has a larger capacity than the Padang, which can accommodate 27,000 spectators. The NDP was last held at the new National Stadium in 2016 - the only time it was held there. It will also commemorate 50 years since the NDP was first held at the old National Stadium, said the Ministry of Defence (Mindef). To mark Singapore's 60th year of independence in 2025, some 27,000 people attended the National Day Parade at the Padang on Aug 9, while another 200,000 enjoyed the extended celebrations at Marina Bay . In July 2022, Mr Ng Eng Hen, who was Defence Minister then, hinted that future NDPs could be held at the National Stadium . Mr Chan, who was speaking at an NDP 2025 appreciation function held at the Surbana Jurong Campus in Cleantech Loop on Aug 19, said: 'We were last there almost 10 years back... Next year, we will try something new.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Girl, 14, among 3 injured after minibus falls into Bukit Panjang canal Singapore What led to Changi Airport runway incident involving 2 China Eastern Airlines planes in Aug 2024 Singapore FairPrice apologises after woman finds worm in salmon bought from Bedok North outlet Singapore S'pore starts Stop Vaping microsite; Ong Ye Kung thanks influencers for taking stand against habit Singapore Live Singapore-raised seafood on sale at 3 Giant supermarkets from Aug 19 Singapore How we can beat the heat in Singapore He added: 'It will be a fresh venue, and we will have fresh ideas, fresh performances.' 'I invite all of us here to contribute ideas on how we can make the SG61 NDP at the Sports Hub a special and meaningful experience for everyone.' During the appreciation function, Mr Chan gave out awards to 148 principal partners and 33 gold award recipients for their contributions to NDP 2025. Chief of Defence Force, Vice-Admiral Aaron Beng, handed out 400 other awards at the function. In his speech, Mr Chan, who is also the Coordinating Minister for Public Services, thanked the many volunteers and participants who put NDP 2025 together. Noting that many marvelled at how the parade came together, he said: 'At every rehearsal (show), there are perhaps 27,000 audience members, but behind the 27,000... there are many more - tens of thousands of people behind the scenes - from the sponsors to the logistics team, to the traffic marshals, to the people in command and control centres, making sure that everything goes on like clockwork.' He added that the NDP is also a powerful statement of the values that Singaporeans hold dear. Noting that parade organisers will try to present something new each time, Mr Chan said this signals to the world that 'we are a people who are constantly striving for innovation, for excellence'. The countless rehearsals done by the performers and participants before the shows are also a reflection of a people who persevere, he said. 'I received a lot of congratulatory messages every year, after the rehearsal and after the actual NDP, and my humble answer to everyone was 'thank you very much (and) we will improve next year', because that's the standard that we set (for) ourselves.' Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing speaking at the appreciation function on Aug 19. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO Mr Chan also noted that the most recent NDP demonstrated the spirit of inclusiveness, with everyday Singaporeans participating in the parade. 'We were prepared to present everyday, ordinary Singaporeans coming together to do extraordinary things.'


AsiaOne
09-08-2025
- Climate
- AsiaOne
NDP 2025: More than 27,000 people throng Padang as festivities kick off, Singapore News
The weather forecast in the morning of National Day Parade (NDP) warned of thundery showers in several areas across Singapore later in the day. Instead, the 27,000 spectators, most wearing red and white, thronged the stands at the Padang on Saturday (Aug 9) under the blazing afternoon sun for the National Day Parade. The gates opened around 4pm, and as spectators made their way to their seats, many shielded themselves from the heat with umbrellas. Farina Jumat, 28 and her sister Farisah, 19, went even further. The pair told AsiaOne that they 'came prepared'— with portable fans. Farina, a pre-school teacher, said it was raining when they left home at Bukit Batok two hours ago. 'It's really hot now, but I'm looking forward to the parade. Happy SG60,' she added. Adeline Toh, 55, is attending the NDP for the first time as a spectator. Toh, who was with her husband, William, told AsiaOne at the Padang said that she was a performer at the NDP held at the former National Stadium in 1985. The patient service executive said: "I've been trying to get a ticket for more than 40 years. "We've been watching the previous NDPs at home and at Marina Bay. I'm sure we will have the best seat for fireworks later." More than 200,000 people are expected around Marina Bay area to enjoy the festivities as part of an "expanded canvas" to mark Singapore's 60th birthday. The pre-parade segment in Padang is expected to begin at 5pm with a musical film by singer Benjamin Kheng and his original NDP tune Makin' Our Way. Transitioning from the screen, 59 students from the Institute of Technical Education and 100 volunteers from TOUCH Community Services will take to the stage in vibrant costumes in a dance performance. In total, more than 3,000 performers and artistes converging from various schools, ministries and organisations are involved in this year's NDP. They will be performing on a 360 deg moving platform, in what has been described by organisers as the largest mobile stage in NDP history. There is also a nine-meter mobile floating stage in Marina Bay mounted on a Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) Fast Craft Utility, where Kheng will sing with 12 dancers from the Music and Drama Company. This will be followed by the Jump of Unity, featuring the Red Lions parachutists from perennial crowd favourites the Red Lions and naval divers from the RSN. It is the first time the two parachute teams will land at separate venues at the NDP. Another first? The Singapore Armed Forces Volunteer Corps is fielding its first full contingent and the inaugural appearance of the Singapore Civil Defence Force guard-of-honour contingent. They are part of the parade featuring 2,100 participants in 40 marching contingents from the Singapore Armed Forces, Home Team, uniformed groups as well as social and economic groups. For those enjoying the festivities at home, look out for the aerial state flag fly-past of two CH-47 heavy lift helicopters, and escorted by two AH-64D Apache attack helicopters. The flag fly-past will be making its way across the island from 5.30pm to 6.20pm. The show segment then kicks off as dawn turns to dusk. It will be told across four acts, each inspired by the words and lines from the National Anthem, Majulah Singapura. NDP2025 culminates in a fireworks show specially designed for SG60. [[nid:720908]]


New Paper
18-06-2025
- Politics
- New Paper
NDP 2025 to feature first SCDF guard-of-honour contingent
For the first time in National Day Parade (NDP) history, the 2025 parade and ceremony will feature a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) guard-of-honour contingent on Aug 9. NDP 2025, which marks Singapore's 60th year of independence, will also see the Singapore Armed Forces Volunteer Corps (SAFVC) field its first full contingent to mark its 10th anniversary. Colonel Lim Yu Sing, the NDP 2025 parade and ceremony chairman, said on June 12 that the parade will feature 40 marching contingents - the largest number at the Padang since 1990, when 70 took part. While participants will train for about 14 weekends - similar to previous years - the higher number of guard-of-honour contingents has added complexity to their movements, said the 44-year-old Col Lim. Meticulous planning has gone into technicalities such as where the contingents turn, their spacing, marching speed and where they stop, said Col Lim, who was also parade and ceremony chairman for NDP 2023. SCDF Deputy Commissioner for Operations and Resilience Ling Young Ern said the decision to include the SCDF in the guard-of-honour contingent was made following public feedback. The force will remain a part of the guard of honour in future NDPs. The inclusion of the SCDF means that its service personnel have to be trained to handle the SAR21 rifle - which is not part of the SCDF's personal equipment but a standard weapon borne by guard-of-honour troops. For this reason, the SCDF was not part of the guard-of-honour contingent for previous NDPs, Deputy Commissioner Ling and NDP 2024 Exco chairman Brigadier-General Low Wilson said in 2024 in response to an ST forum letter. NDP 2025 will be led by parade commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Firdaus Ghazali, 38, and parade regimental sergeant major, Master Warrant Officer Lim Jie Hui, 46. About 2,100 participants will take part in the parade. They include members of six guard-of-honour contingents, the SAF colours party, several SAF and Home Team supporting contingents, uniformed youth organisations, numerous civilian contingents, a combined band and a live choir. In addition, 142 soldiers are involved in the presidential gun salute. Training for contingents from the SAF and Home Team began in April, while civilian contingents joined in from May. The first combined rehearsal at the Padang will take place on June 14. For LTC Firdaus, being a parade commander was his childhood dream. In 2002, he participated in the NDP as a performer for the closing act in the show segment when he was a Temasek Secondary School student. "I had a glimpse of the parade and ceremony segment during one of the training sessions from the stands of the (old) National Stadium," said LTC Firdaus, who is commanding officer of the SAF's Motorised Infantry Battalion Training Centre 1. "I developed a deep appreciation for the parade and its significance as the heart and core of our NDPs." In total, the parade at NDP 2025 will involve about 2,100 participants. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI Major Lee En Hao, 34, commander of the SCDF's inaugural guard-of-honour contingent, said Aug 9 will be a "historic moment" for the force. He added that he is excited to see how future parades may evolve, with the SCDF guard-of-honour contingent now a permanent fixture in the NDP. With the rest of the guard of honour, the SCDF contingent will fire blanks using SAR21 rifles during the feu de joie or fire of joy, which is a ceremonial salute. Sergeant 3 Thenmoli Silvadorie, a 28-year-old SCDF paramedic, said learning how to use and fire a SAR21 rifle has been exciting for her. "Initially it felt heavy, but with more training... it has become a part of us," she said. "It instils a lot of discipline and accountability." NDP 2025 will be the second time in three years that the number of guard-of-honour contingents has increased. In 2023, the SAF's Digital and Intelligence Service - inaugurated in 2022 - joined the NDP for the first time, fielding a guard-of-honour contingent along with the army, navy and air force contingents as well as the Singapore Police Force. The SAFVC was first represented at the NDP in 2019, as part of a combined contingent that also featured members of the police's Volunteer Special Constabulary and the SCDF's Civil Defence Auxiliary Unit. The combined volunteer contingent did not feature again until NDP 2024. SAFVC contingent commander Arlene Pang, 42, said the fact that the volunteer corps is able to field an entire contingent in 2025 reflects how it has grown over the past decade. Ms Pang, who joined the SAFVC in 2015 as part of its first batch of volunteers, feels as if she has "grown up from primary school to secondary school" with the corps. "I've seen it from its genesis to where it is right now. I've seen how different leaders have come in to bring SAFVC to the next level and to make it what it is today," said Ms Pang, who serves with the navy. This year, the public can get up close with the SAF colours at an uncasing ceremony in Marina Square from 5.15pm before the parade and ceremony begin. During the parade and ceremony segment, spectators will be near the live choir, who will perform on "island stages" positioned near the seating galleries. The 127-member choir is formed by Greendale Secondary School students and singers from arts group Voices of Singapore. Accompanying them is a 100-piece band, with members from the SAF Band, SPF Band, Singapore National Cadet Corps Command Band and National Police Cadet Corps Band. As the National Anthem plays during the state flag flypast - just after the President arrives at the Padang - members of the uniformed youth contingents at the parade will form the words "Majulah 60" using umbrellas, a nod to NDP 2025's theme Majulah Singapura and the country's 60th birthday. The parade and ceremony will conclude with the onward march as contingents from the SAF, Home Team and uniformed youth organisations march past the spectator stands while exiting the Padang. People without tickets to the parade at the Padang can still get in on the action at Marina Bay, where four 25-pounder guns will sail around the bay on the SAF's Mobility 3rd Generation rafts, coming near those gathered at The Promontory @ Marina Bay.