Istana open house to be held on Oct 20 to celebrate Deepavali
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Visitors will be able to experience a refreshed tour to learn more about the heritage and history of the Istana grounds.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
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SINGAPORE – The Istana will be open to the public on Oct 20, from 8.30am to 6pm, in celebration of Deepavali.
Visitors will be able to go on a refreshed tour to learn more about the heritage and history of the Istana grounds. Highlights include the Japanese Garden, Villa, Ceremonial Plaza and Inclusive Garden.
The Japanese Garden features a dry rock garden with nine sculptural rocks and a granite crossing bridge, a water cascade with a traditional Japanese basin and a traditional Japanese lantern.
Guided tours for groups of 20 people are conducted in English and Mandarin every half an hour from 9am to 4pm. Self-guided tours are also available.
In addition, visitors can look forward to a series of arts performances, activity booths, food and beverage stalls, and family-friendly activities such as a scavenger hunt.
The performers are from Pasir Ris Primary School, Tampines Secondary School, St Stephen’s School, Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary), APSN Chaoyang School, Catholic High School and St Andrew’s Junior College.
For souvenir hunters, there will be merchandise booths offering limited-edition Istana and President’s Challenge memorabilia. Only cashless payments via credit or debit cards or QR code will be accepted.
Entry to the open house is only via the main gate in Orchard Road. The nearest MRT station is Dhoby Ghaut.
Attendance is free for Singaporeans and permanent residents, including their caregivers. All other visitors will need to pay an entrance fee of $20 per adult and $10 per child aged between four and 12. Children under four may enter for free.
Entry may be restricted if there are crowding issues or bad weather.
There will be added fees for entering the Istana Villa and to take the guided heritage tour, for everyone except children under four years old.
All proceeds from the entry to the Istana grounds, tours and President’s Challenge merchandise booth will go to charities supported by the President’s Challenge. Proceeds from the social service agencies’ booths will go to the agencies themselves.
More information on the open house can be found on the Istana’s website
