| By Goh Yi Han | ||
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DON'T miss your chance to catch the parade of the year. Ticket applications start tomorrow and will remain open until May 25.
The theme for the 44th National Day Parade (NDP) is Come Together, Reaching Out, Reaching Up. It will be held on Aug 9 at the Marina Bay Floating Platform.
Those interested in soaking up the festivities can apply for batches of two, four or six free tickets via SMS or telephone. They can also use application forms available at the official NDP website, as well as AXS stations and Self-Automated Machines islandwide.
They can choose to catch the action at the preview on Aug 1, a Saturday, or the actual parade the following Sunday.
There are 27,000 tickets for each performance, which will be randomly allocated by computer.
This year, among the hopefuls is Mr Shen Jia Yi, a 21-year-old medical student who is applying for the first time. A computerised selection, he feels, is fairer than having to stand in long queues overnight, as was the case prior to 2003.
'That kind of first-come-first-served system is a bit too messy. My chances are low for balloting, but I'll still give it a shot,' he added.
Even for five-time unsuccessful applicant Lee Kok Kin, trying again is a must. The 31-year-old engineer has tried and failed to get tickets for the last five years, but remains positive. This time, he said: 'I'm sure my persistence will pay off eventually - hopefully it'll be this year.'
Organisers said applications for fewer tickets are mathematically more likely to be successful than those for more tickets.
This year's parade will contain 10 segments, inspired by lines of the Republic's national pledge.
Military contingents will march down City Hall to the cheers of 150,000 to 200,000 people expected to throng the Marina Bay and Esplanade areas.
The traditional military parade, which usually takes place before dusk, will begin an hour later and be incorporated into the light and sound show, adding something different to the proceedings. And in an effort to outdo previous parades, the night show promises a greater 'wow' factor.
Winning Tickets for NDP
The Straits Times gives out its first set of free National Day Parade tickets. With a few more weeks to go to NDP, find out how you can get tickets too by joining The Straits Times NDP Photo Caption Contest. RazorTV tells you how.
