Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and President Tony Tan Keng Yam will join some 3,000 performers in the Chingay Parade's finale 'Knit with One Heart' on Friday and Saturday respectively.

They will give their wishes to encourage all Singaporeans to come together as "One People" during the finale song. Both will also be present as guests of honour on the respective dates, greeting audiences on the parade opening float,

Chairman of the Chingay Parade Mr Nah Juay Hng shared this at a media briefing on Thursday. He said: "It's a parade that is co-created by Singaporeans... Through the parade, we hope to share Singapore's culture with the world."

The parade which began in 1973, will also feature 500 performers from six countries this year. They comprise performers from South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Italy and the Philippines.

Some 70,000 people are expected to take part in this year's parade, which is themed "Colours of Fabric, One People." Local talents who will be involved in the parade include music director Goh Kheng Long, composer and arranger of the parade's opening song- Paint With One Heart. It will also feature other local talents like poet Pan Cheng Lui and batik artist Sarkasi Said.

The parade which will be televised live, will take place at the F1 Pit Building from 8pm to 10pm on Friday and Saturday. An estimated 160,000 spectators are expected to show up for both nights of the parade.

Spectators can also look forward to watching the heartland parades held on Saturday and Sunday night at three different venues, namely, at Cantonment Road, Bedok South Road and the open field beside Punggol MRT station.