Istana to hold open house on Aug 3 to celebrate SG60
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This year’s open house celebrates the SG60 theme, “Building Our Singapore Together”.
PHOTO: ST FILE
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SINGAPORE – The Istana will open its grounds to the public on Aug 3 from 8.30am to 6pm to mark National Day and celebrate the nation’s 60th birthday with people of all ages.
Visitors can look forward to fun activities to commemorate SG60 that reflect this year’s theme, “Building Our Singapore Together”.
These include the opportunity to participate in sport try-outs for boccia, seated volleyball and virtual archery – all of them designed to engage participants of all abilities.
Visitors can also step inside a roving art truck by the National Gallery, take home postcards featuring artwork by local artist Heman Chong, and transform fabric scraps into novelty items in Twine Together!, a collaboration between the National Heritage Board and Uniqlo.
From 10am to 4.30pm, there will be a series of performances including by local singer-songwriters LAYYI and Sherman Zhuo.
Student performers will also take the stage, including an angklung and kulintang ensemble from Bukit View Primary School, a handbells ensemble from Woodlands Primary School, a choral recitation group from Madrasah Alsagoff Al-Arabiah, and Hwa Chong Institution (High School)’s concert band.
Snacks can be purchased from on-site food and beverage stalls.
Merchandise booths will be offering limited-edition Istana and President’s Challenge souvenirs, and up to 10,000 National Day goodie bags will also be up for grabs.
On Aug 3, visitors can enter the Istana grounds via its main gate in Orchard Road. The nearest MRT station is Dhoby Ghaut, which is less than five minutes away by foot.
Entry to the Istana grounds is free for Singaporeans and permanent residents, and migrant domestic workers accompanying families. Otherwise, there is an admission fee of $20 for adults and $10 for a child aged four to 12. For more information, members of the public can visit go.gov.sg/visitistana
Correction note: In an earlier version of this story, we said that visitors would be able to co-create artwork with local artist Heman Chong. The Istana has since clarified that visitors will be able to take home postcards featuring his work instead, and that the artist will not be present on-site.
