NDP 2025: Hope and anticipation as Singapore’s 60th birthday bash kicks off

SINGAPORE – A sense of anticipation thrummed at the Padang on Aug 9 as the crowd waited for the kick-off to the National Day Parade celebrations.

The slight drizzle and relentless heat did not deter the audience, who sang along to familiar National Day favourites piped through speakers and thumped energetically to the beat with inflatable thunder sticks.

It was, after all, Singapore’s 60th birthday bash – and the 27,000 people in attendance were ready to celebrate.

A segment in the pre-show of wishes penned by Singaporeans drew laughter.

Some crowd favourites were “I want to do well for PSLE!” and “I want to be on television!”, with heartfelt ones like “I want us to feel safe and welcomed!” and “I want us to support each other!”.

Several Padang waves later, the giant screens showed hosts Joakim Gomez, Sonia Chew, Ebi Shankara and Siti Khalijah “teleporting” from the stage at the Padang to an MRT train.

To the soundtrack Makin’ Our Way, written and composed by home-grown artiste Benjamin Kheng, a film showed the hosts taking the train to scenes in Singapore’s history, before they hopped onto a Big Bus.

There was a surprise appearance made by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in the film, who played a riff on an electric guitar at the back of that bus – to loud cheers from the audience at the Padang.

It was then that the hosts pulled up in person at the Padang.

The atmosphere turned electric when it became clear that the show had started, with the four hosts breaking into song and dance on the Padang stage.

Not a moment was wasted thereafter, as upbeat music drew eyes skywards for the impending arrival of the Red Lions parachutists – a perennial crowd favourite.

Phones were whipped out and necks craned while people waited with bated breath, as the seven skydivers – leaping from an aircraft 3,050m above ground and appearing as small dots in the sky at first – spiralled downwards steadily.

The Red Lions linked their arms together to form a circle, before dispersing in a “bomb burst” manoeuvre complete with red smoke trails to resemble a flower opening.

At about 1,220m above ground, the Red Lions deployed their parachutes for their descent onto the Padang to resounding cheers from the audience.

In the inaugural Jump of Unity at the 2025 parade, seven naval divers parachuted into Marina Bay from a helicopter at about 1,830m above ground.

Their splashdown in Marina Bay was similarly met with a thunderous roar from the massive crowd gathered at the promontory on the bay.

After their dramatic jumps, the 14 Red Lions and naval divers performed a combined simultaneous salute from their separate landing sites.

Spectators then turned their eyes to a video featuring Singaporeans from all walks of life talking about their wishes for their community and themselves.

As night fell, the camera panned to members of the crowd holding up their wish placards, underlining the idea of a collective hope for the nation’s future.