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This year’s celebrations for Singapore’s independence day are going to be almost as big as ever, parade organizers promised today.

The annual National Day Parade, or NDP, at The Float at Marina Bay on Aug. 9 will gather as many Singaporeans as the venue can hold to celebrate the nation’s 57th birthday.

“As we move towards living with COVID-19, this year’s NDP has the opportunity to physically bring Singaporeans together and aims to engage Singaporeans through exciting and meaningful celebrations at both the heartlands and The Float @ Marina Bay,” said Brigadier-General Goh Pei Ming, the parade committee’s chairman. 

Goh told reporters today that the team is expecting to fill all 26,000 seats at the float and will “try to involve as many Singaporeans at the floating platform as possible.” Primary 5 students invited to the parade for education shows will return as well as lucky citizens who ballot for tickets to show previews.

Revisiting the hiccups, moving moments and LOLs from NDP history

The parades in the last two years saw a small group of spectators, with only politicians and frontline health care workers invited. Activities were also mostly conducted virtually.

Performers and attendees must be vaccinated, according to the latest COVID restrictions that require all to be vaccinated at any live event with more than 500 attendees. No mask is required for outdoor events.

This year’s theme, “Stronger Together, Majulah!”, encourages citizens to trudge as one toward a better future, as announced by the parade’s executives today. “Majulah” means “onward” in Malay and features heavily in the city-state’s national anthem.

The NDP song, , is performed by first Singapore Idol winner Taufik Batisah and The Island Voices.

Highlights from the pre-COVID days will return with a total defense display featuring the Singapore Armed Forces and Home Team conducting air, land, and sea demonstrations. 

But new this year will be a virtual choir performance of the parade song followed by five live performances by Singaporean artists and a film further promoting Singapore’s resilience against challenges.

The weekend before the actual day, which falls on a Tuesday, there will be celebrations at five locations across the island. Each will feature performances, activities, exhibitions, and displays by the Singapore Armed Forces and the Home Team. 

Also, on Sunday, Aug. 7, parachute team Red Lions will descend over two heartland sites.

Parade organizers said viewers can expect the usual “aerial elements” like the country’s flag carried by the Chinook helicopter fleet and F-16 fighter jets conducting fly-bys over the city.

Of course, fireworks will go off simultaneously over The Float at Marina Bay and the heartlands.

With construction of the float’s replacement, a venue dubbed NS Square, slated to begin in March, this could be the final parade conducted on the float.

More details will be released soon.

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