SINGAPORE - A fireworks display and musical performances helped kick off Singapore River's Christmas light-up festival on Friday.
Now in its second year, the Christmas by the River lights festival was launched by guest of honour Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and National Development Lee Yi Shyan at a ceremony attended by some 100 guests.
As part of the seven-week festival, 8m-tall LED Christmas tree structures will stand on the banks of the river's three quays - Clarke Quay, Boat Quay and Robertson Quay - and choirs will sing from the river banks to visitors on boats.
Three more fireworks displays will take also place, with the last on Dec 26, and Christmas markets will be held along the River Promenade, in front of Clarke Quay Central, in December.
Mr Wilson Tan, chairman of Singapore River One (SRO), which manages the quays, said at the launch: "There is still much potential that we can develop in the Singapore River precinct. This can be a place where locals will come frequently, a must-visit destination for tourists, and a choice location for investors."
Last year's inaugural Christmas by the River helped bring more visitors to the area, with an SRO survey finding that average numbers went up by about 25 per cent to around 25,000 for the November/December period, compared with six months earlier.