SINGAPORE - This year's National Day Parade (NDP) Funpack is all geared for the future - with a translucent plastic skin, an LED wristband that can be wirelessly synchronised with the show's lights and sounds, as well as a souvenir magazine embedded with digital content.
The waterproof and lightweight funpack, which weighs 320g and stands at 23cm by 33cm by 18cm, will also be placed at the spectator seats this year instead of at collection points to smoothen the entry process, said organisers on Tuesday (June 7).
Adjustable straps also make the funpack versatile as both a sling bag and haversack.
Among the highlights of the 18-item goodie bag are interactive objects such as the LED wristband. This programmable band can be wirelessly synchronised with the show's lights and sounds, and is capable of emitting lights with varying intensity in 16 different colours and modes.
Also leveraging on technology is a souvenir magazine embedded with digital content. Using the NDPeeps App on their mobile devices, parade goers can access content such as images and videos via augmented reality.
For instance, they will be able to view a 3D time-lapse video of the National Stadium's evolution by focusing the camera of their mobile device on a picture of the stadium in the magazine.
Other items in the pack include favourites such as the Singapore scarf and discount booklet, as well as a luggage tag, an NDP 16 logo card, a handheld Singapore flag and a set of stick-on face tattoos.
Every pack will also come with a bottle of Newater, a bottle of mineral water, roasted peanuts, Hello Panda biscuits, Khong Guan biscuits, Nin Jiom herbal candy, a flip fan, a wet napkin, dry tissue as well as a litter bag.
For this year's festivities, a mural combining more than 50,000 paintings by students and youths will also go on display from July 23 till National Day on Aug 9. The mosaic, entitled Our Collective Dreams and Aspirations, digitally stitches artwork
from students across 177 primary schools and 20 special schools as well as about 200 youths from *Scape.
Singaporean artist Sun Yu-Li's abstract designs based on Singapore's 51 years of nation building will be overlaid on top of the mosaic, which symbolises "the need for collective ownership in charting Singapore's future".
Engagements efforts will also reach out to more than 850 beneficiaries under the National Council of Social Service, who will get to watch the parade live during two preview shows and on Aug 9.
A pledge card bearing artwork by former television artiste Edmund Chen and special needs students from Pathlight School will also be distributed to the public at the National Stadium during two preview shows and on National Day. The drawings depict scenes from the past, present and future of Singapore.
The public is encouraged to pen a message on the card and share it on their social media platforms. An electronic version of the card will also be available on the NDPeeps App from July 7.
Singapore's birthday bash this year will mark a return to the National Stadium after 10 years. It promises highlights such as the use of unmanned technologies and indoor fireworks.
Follow the latest NDP 2016 news here at str.sg/ndp2016.
