Look out for fireworks, Red Lions and carnivals in heartland

This year's National Day Parade will return to the Marina Bay floating platform in its full glory on Aug 9, but Singaporeans in the heartland can get a head start on the celebrations at 12 locations across the island.

Besides community fireworks and jumps by the Red Lions parachutists that proved to be crowd favourites during the Covid-19 pandemic, large-scale carnival activities will return for the first time since the pandemic began.

On Aug 7, the Red Lions will freefall at around 9am and then speak to the audience, said the parade organisers and the People's Association (PA) in a joint statement yesterday.

Colonel Kwek Kian Leong, chairman of the NDP 2022 Heartlands Committee, said: "Over the past two years, certain elements of the National Day Parade (NDP) were brought into the heartland that Singaporeans really appreciate, such as the Red Lions as well as the aerial flypast.

"This year, we will retain these elements and scale up celebrations in the heartland."

There will also be five carnivals - in Buona Vista, Ang Mo Kio, Sembawang and Punggol on Aug 6, and another in Geylang Serai on Aug 7.

Speaking to the press at a media briefing yesterday, PA's group director for grassroots Pow Choon Ghee said: "After three years of Covid-19, we want to engage and reconnect with our residents."

The carnivals will be ticketed, with free tickets available for collection from all community clubs from 10am today. These will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis, said the organisers and PA.

People can also book tickets online from July 23 via a booking link which will be available on the NDP website.

The organisers and PA added that for the carnivals and some of the fireworks displays, which are in enclosed areas such as stadiums, participants must be fully vaccinated to enter, or fall under other exemptions in the national guidelines.

The public will be asked to verify their vaccination status, they added, as the country rides out a fresh wave of the Covid-19 virus with minimal tightening of measures.

Col Kwek said visitors will also be strongly advised to wear masks, even though it is not a legal requirement to do so in open-air areas.

The carnivals will have theme-park-style rides and various other activities. Each has been organised around a separate theme planned by grassroots leaders in the area.

Many of the carnivals will also feature initiatives to recognise the efforts by ordinary Singaporeans during the height of the pandemic.

For example, the carnival at Buona Vista - themed Celebrate With Our Stars @ South West - will invite residents to write down messages to the heroes in their lives and will feature some outstanding residents who helped their neighbours.

They include a group of volunteers who started an initiative to distribute porridge to the needy in their area during the pandemic.

The carnivals will also feature static displays of vehicles from the Singapore Armed Forces and the Home Team, Col Kwek added.

Heartland events like this may become an NDP mainstay in the future, with Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen previously saying he would like to continue holding displays in the heartland to reach more Singaporeans.