Saddle up for Chinese New Year festivities at the Istana open house on Feb 22
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Highlights include meet-and-greets with horses, craft workshops and lion dance performances.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
SINGAPORE – Ride into the Year of the Horse at the Istana, which will be open to the public on Feb 22, from 8.30am to 6pm, to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
Visitors can explore the Istana grounds, watch live performances and get up close with horses from social services organisation EQUAL, while learning more about connections between humans and these creatures, among other activities.
Those who want to flex their creativity can try their hand at water marbling, crafting and assembling their very own reed diffuser.
Live performances lined up for the day include musical renditions of Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil classics, as well as lion dance and wushu performances. Traditional Chinese instruments and Indian classical violin will be showcased, alongside a philharmonic orchestra presentation.
There will also be a series of performances by the likes of The TENG Company, Voices of Singapore Children’s Choir, NUS Lion Dance, Lasalle College of the Arts, as well as other schools.
Visitors can pre-register to join a guided Istana Heritage Tour, with tours taking place between 9am and 4pm.
If slots are full, there is the option of going on a self-guided tour of the Istana Villa between 8.30am and 6pm, where you can view a collection of state gifts presented to Singapore’s leaders.
Entry to the open house is only via the main gate in Orchard Road. The nearest MRT station is Dhoby Ghaut.
Admission is free for Singaporeans and permanent residents, and for migrant domestic workers accompanying these families.
All other visitors will need to pay an entrance fee of $20 for each adult and $10 for every child aged four to 12.
