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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
NDP celebrations to be held at 5 heartland sites, including Bishan and Punggol, on Aug 10
SINGAPORE – Singaporeans can enjoy the National Day Parade (NDP) festivities closer to home on Aug 10, with celebrations taking place in Bishan, Punggol, Yishun, Geylang Serai and Bukit Gombak. The heartland celebrations will include a mobile column featuring 60 different assets that will make pit stops, and a fighter jet fly-past. At the Bishan site, there will also be a display jump by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) parachute team Red Lions. From 4pm to 9pm on Aug 10, the celebrations will take place at the open field next to Bishan Junction 8 mall in the Central District, at the open field next to One Punggol in the North East District, and at the open field next to FutsalArena @ Yishun in the North West District. Festivities will also be held at the open field beside Wisma Geylang Serai in the South East District and at Bukit Gombak ActiveSG Stadium in the South West District. Members of the public can collect tickets to the heartland celebrations at any of the 113 community clubs from July 8, on a first-come, first-served basis. Each person can collect up to two tickets, and every attendee will receive an NDP pack. The mobile column is returning to the heartland in 2025, after its last appearance in 2020. The 60 assets – from the SAF, Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force – will form five convoys. They will depart from the city centre, each heading to a different heartland site where they will be set up as a static display. The convoys will clock a distance of 180km in total. A live tracker will be available on the NDP website to facilitate real-time tracking of the mobile column's routes. Along the way, the five convoys will make pit stops to allow the public to have a closer look at the assets for up to 80 minutes. These pit stops will be at Jurong Town Hall bus interchange from 2.10pm to 3pm; at Kranji Primary School from 2pm to 3pm; at CHIJ Primary (Toa Payoh) and CHIJ Secondary School from 2.20pm to 3.40pm; at Hougang Bus Park from 2.50pm to 3.40pm; and at Tampines Concourse bus interchange from 1.30pm to 2.50pm. The cut-off timing for entry to each pit stop is 10 minutes before the closing time. Speaking to reporters at an NDP media event on July 8, Colonel David Kwek, co-chairman of the NDP 2025 Heartland Celebrations Committee, said that taking the mobile column to the major residential districts would allow Singaporeans to welcome the military assets from their windows or doorsteps. Lieutenant-Colonel Chek Wei Lun, chairman of the mobile column-to-heartland committee, noted that this is the first time pit stops will be open to the public for viewing the assets up close and taking photographs. He added that the five routes were selected to ensure that the mobile column passes through heavily populated areas and that the roads are wide enough to accommodate the military assets. From 6pm to 6.30pm, four F-16 fighter jets will fly in a diamond formation through the heartland, looping around each site twice. The display jump by the Red Lions will take place only at the Bishan site, with seven parachutists landing at around 4pm. On the choice of Bishan, COL Kwek said this was the only heartland site with enough space and entry points that could accommodate the landing of the parachutists. In the Central Dictrict, there will be a digital installation featuring 60 stories of residents who have made contributions to the community. Among the featured residents is Mr Mohammed Salihan Wahid, 27, who has been designing and painting wayfinding murals for various Housing Board blocks in Jalan Kayu. These murals will be ready in early August, in time for the heartland celebrations. The freelance artist hopes that the murals of food and familiar Singapore icons will be relatable and useful for elderly people with dementia, as well as others who are not familiar with the area. In the North East, residents can light up lanterns and send their good wishes in glowing message bottles. In the South West, floating lanterns with residents' good wishes will be exhibited. Mr Ang Ying Thye, co-chairman of the South West District Committee, said the heartland celebrations there will feature a hair salon for elderly residents with mobility or financial constraints, as well as a calligraphy booth helmed by Mr Lee Jun Le, an 18-year-old artist with autism. 'What we wish to showcase... is that no matter who you are, you have a part to play in community building. Through being inclusive, we can understand each other better, and there will be harmony,' Mr Ang added. South East District residents can also enjoy a skating experience. The North West District will showcase community-created works of art depicting local landmarks. All the five district celebrations will feature a drone show. One of the volunteers involved in planning the activities for the South East District is Ms Anne Saphrin Alex Sathyan, 21. As a designer of the elements in the drone show, the university student chose to feature the national flower, Vanda Miss Joaquim, in many of her designs. One of them depicts the growth of a little butterfly, symbolising the nation's development over the years. COL Kwek said: 'It is our hope that we can bring the spirit of National Day to as many Singaporeans as possible, into their homes and neighbourhoods.' Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction Discover how to enjoy other premium articles here
CNA
5 days ago
- Automotive
- CNA
National Day heartland celebrations will see 60 SAF and Home Team vehicles forming mobile column
Residents in Singapore can now track the location of the National Day mobile column as it makes its way around the country during the heartland celebrations on Aug 10. A total of 60 vehicles from the Singapore Armed Forces and Home Team will be involved, and they will be making brief stops for the public to see them up close. Nikhil Khattar reports.
