NDP 2025: In red and white, 200,000 revel in extended NDP celebrations at Marina Bay

SINGAPORE - Marina Bay was a place of celebration on Aug 9, as some 200,000 people thronged the area to party on Singapore’s 60th birthday.

True to the occasion of a diamond jubilee, the National Day Parade (NDP) live show was

extended from the Padang to Marina Bay for the first time

, allowing more people to enjoy the spectacle.

Apart from a live broadcast of the show on large LED screens, spectators at the bay were treated to a mobile column, fireworks, light projections, live performances and other highlights, which were synchronised with the Padang show.

Nearly 7,000 people gathered at The Promontory @ Marina Bay to watch the spectacle on the waterfront.

The event at The Promontory was

co-organised by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the NDP executive committee

.

Ms Siti Nur Azyan, 36, and her family – including her three children, aged three to nine – attended the NDP for the first time in 2025.

The civil servant said: “My children were so excited about the performances and fireworks. My nine-year-old daughter, who will be watching her first National Education show in two years, now knows what to expect.”

The Aug 9 festivities in the Marina Bay area

began even before the NDP show

.

From as early as 10am, people wearing red and white enjoyed an array of activities, street performances and treats from food stalls that lined various landmarks along the waterfront.

At handicraft stations around Clifford Pier, participants received henna tattoos and tried their hand at painting traditional fans and making ketupat keychains.

The nostalgia-filled fun extended to game booths around the ArtScience Museum, where people young and old played traditional games like capteh, and the Uncle Ringo carnival at the Bayfront Event Space.

Over at The Promontory, local artistes Shabir Sulthan, Shazza and Regina Song warmed the crowd up from around 4.25pm with their own tracks and energetic renditions of familiar local tunes.

At about 5.50pm, naval divers upped the ante by free-falling from a height of about 1,830m, before parachuting to land in the waters of Marina Bay for

the inaugural Jump of Unity

.

Spectators then rose to sing the National Anthem as a heavy-lift helicopter, escorted by two Apaches, carried the Singapore flag over the Padang.

Ms Dinie Hazirah, 27, said the fly-past and aerial display reminded her of how safe and secure Singapore is.

The restaurant manager, who was at The Promontory with her fiance, said: “With so much going on around the world, l’m very grateful that we are safe in Singapore.”

Even from Marina Bay, spectators could witness the pomp and ceremony of the NDP show. At about 6.40pm, four 25-pounder guns on a raft in the bay fired 21 times in a salute to President Tharman Shanmugaratnam as he reviewed the parade at the Padang.

The crowd then fixed their eyes on the skies once more for a series of

aerial displays that culminated in a fly-past over the Padang featuring 22 aircraft

. They cheered as six F-15SG jets flew in from opposite directions, roared past one another and climbed upwards.

The action spilt over into the waters of Marina Bay as well. Those watching from the surrounding area had front-row seats as five vessels from the Republic of Singapore Navy, Singapore Police Force, Singapore Civil Defence Force and Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore sailed across the water.

As the sun set over Marina Bay, the facades of buildings in the city such as UOB Plaza and The Fullerton Hotel were transformed into a canvas for captivating light projections.

This display formed the backdrop for the entrance of four illuminated floats on the bay designed by artists with disabilities.

As the clock approached 8pm, singer Benjamin Kheng serenaded the audience with the NDP 2024 theme song Not Alone from a mobile floating stage on the bay, performing it as a duet with singer Rahimah Rahim at the Padang.

Then came the moment many at Marina Bay had been waiting for: Fireworks filled the sky and took the celebrations to a crescendo, as people held mini Singapore flags – or their phones to record a new memory – aloft.

Performances by rapper Shigga Shay and DJ Caden brought the night to a close at The Promontory, while singer-songwriter Jeff Ng was the final act at The Meadow at Gardens by the Bay, which was also part of the celebrations.

Mr Tan Lihao, 42, was at The Meadow with his wife and two daughters, aged two and seven, who joined the festivities for the first time.

“This year is special. I want to create good memories with my family,” said Mr Tan, who works in engineering.

The Singapore Sports Hub in Kallang, the Bayfront Event Space next to Marina Bay Sands, and Marina Barrage were also part of the expanded birthday bash.

Retiree Doris Tan, 58, was at the Singapore Sports Hub with her family of 15 and two dogs.

Madam Tan, who used to work in the tech industry, said: “It’s not just about Singapore turning 60. Every year, we are just very happy to be Singaporeans.”