THE Sands for Singapore Charity Festival will return on July 31, with organisers promising it will be bigger and better than ever.

The annual charity festival, being held for the third successive year, will host a series of activities over 10 days to raise money for 80 charities.

It will feature a record number of 25 community events, up from 18 last year.

To kick off the festival, Marina Bay Sands will donate three days' worth of proceeds from its popular attractions - the Sand SkyPark Observation Deck, ArtScience Museum, sampan rides and Skating Rink - to Community Chest.

Fifty special guests will also have the opportunity to experience the National Day Parade fireworks from a section of the Sands SkyPark Observation Deck.

A charity race, Play It Forward, is scheduled for Aug 2 in which teams will race against time in different challenges across Marina Bay Sands' attractions. The winning team will get to select a charity to receive a $50,000 donation.

More events will be announced closer to the date of the festival.

Mr George Tanasijevich, chief executive officer and president of Marina Bay Sands, said: "All along we wanted to create something that fills in the gaps for the local community. The whole idea of the festival is to move beyond just the monetary donations."

GILAINE NG