Rain put a dampener on those planning to catch New Year's Eve festivities in the Marina Bay area yesterday afternoon.

Several outdoor activities planned - such as dance workouts and yoga - were cancelled owing to the inclement weather.

There was rain islandwide due to a monsoon surge in the South China Sea, with the National Environment Agency reporting temperatures as low as 23 deg C.

However, many still braved the weather in the hope of getting a good photo of the fireworks later in the evening, as well as the light-up of buildings in the area, such as The Fullerton Hotel.

"It's just a slight drizzle, so I don't mind," said 17-year-old student Liu Zheng Qi, who had arrived in the Marina Bay area with a friend at about 4.30pm, along with his photography gear to take photos of the fireworks.

He had intended to look for a spot on the roof of the Esplanade, but found the area closed off from 6pm for security reasons.

Many revellers came equipped with umbrellas and ponchos.

Security has been beefed up for countdown parties here, following a number of terror incidents overseas last year.

Police officers - including officers from the Special Operations Command, Protective Security Command, Public Transport Security Command and Emergency Response Teams - were out in force at the Marina Bay countdown party yesterday, joined by both auxiliary police officers and security officers.

A number of roads in the area, such as St Andrew's Road and Connaught Drive, were closed to vehicular traffic.