Orchard Road turns into pedestrian and party playground for Christmas Eve

SINGAPORE - It was the night before Christmas and Orchard Road was stirring with people impatiently waiting for the Great Christmas Eve Street Party to start.

At 6pm, revellers, shoppers, tourists and middle-aged aunties were already gathered on the pavement near Wisma Atria.

The party was to take place from 8pm, between the Paterson Road junction next to Ion Orchard and the Bideford Road junction near Ngee Ann City.

Several roads into the area were closed for the event, which was supposed to run until 12.15am on Dec 25.

Music blared from speakers dotting the area, fighting for attention from visitors who were enjoying the Christmas decorations and twinkling lights.

A magician stepped up to entertain the crowd near Ion Orchard, and a short distance away, a puppet master pulled strings, to much amusement.

Ms Mary Lim, 57, was there with two older sisters to soak up the atmosphere. The Indonesian, who is married to a Singaporean and lives here, said it was her first time attending the event.

Her sisters – Ms Minah Lim, 64, and Ms Monika Lim, a year younger – had travelled to Singapore to join Ms Mary. They made sure they dressed in the festive colours.

“During Christmas, we must wear red and green,” they said excitedly.

It was the third Great Christmas Eve Street Party.

The annual event was first organised in 2023, as Singapore and the world shook off the constraints of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was only on Feb 13, 2023, that it stopped being mandatory for all non-fully vaccinated travellers entering Singapore to show proof of a negative pre-departure test.

Non-fully vaccinated short-term visitors were not required to purchase Covid-19 travel insurance, either.

The party that year also marked the 40th anniversary of the annual Christmas in Orchard Road light-up, an event which, despite the worries around travel, attracted over four million visitors.

At 8pm, as the party began, waves of revellers poured onto the street from the various entry points located along the road. The route was lined with food trucks, infusing the night air with a mouth-watering aroma.

Street performers stationed themselves in the middle of the road, attracting the attention of many pedestrians, who formed a circle around the entertainers.

Ms Bernadette Neo, 39, was there with her seven-year-old daughter Isabella. It was their first time at the event.

Ms Neo, a secretary, had read about the event on social media.

“There were a lot of people waiting to get into the area. But when you do get in, it’s not so bad,” she said.

The police had announced on Dec 22 that they would deploy police officers, auxiliary police officers and security officers to manage the crowds in the Orchard Road area.

Attendees were also encouraged to make use of a

digital map

, which displays real-time crowd levels and road closures.

Malaysian national Zachary Sze, 16, was back for a second time.

“The decorations were nicer in 2024, more elaborate. And they had Christmas music playing, not generic pop,” said the student, who added that he was worried when the crowd grew later in the night.

“The crowd was so bad that there were moments where I almost lost track of my family,” he added.

Mr Matthew Koh had cycled to the party from his home in Serangoon Central. The interior project manager said he started at 3pm.

The 58-year-old dressed up as Santa Claus for the party, something he did the previous year as well.

“In fact, I dress as Santa Claus every year. It’s something I do to make people happy during the festive season,” he said.

Some in the crowd donned Santa hats as they “sleighed” the makeshift dance floor.

And, despite reports of a possible storm, the weather held, and partygoers danced the night away.