It was a fun day out at the park for thousands of visitors who attended The Straits Times Concert in the Gardens yesterday, which featured a mini carnival where visitors could enjoy food, games and more.

The event, which ended with a one-hour showcase concert by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) in the evening, was held at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

The day-long carnival had booths where the visitors could get the newspaper's photojournalists and artists to capture their images.

The ST Art and Photo booths raised about $2,000 for the ST School Pocket Money Fund.

There were also specially curated treats by the ST food team, including ice cream, cakes, croissants and salted egg snacks sold at booths at the mini carnival.

Sales manager Simone Tan, 39, who was with her family, said there were many activities to keep everyone entertained.

"It's also a good opportunity for us to come down and relax together as a family," she added.

Student Joshua Gomez, 25, who was at last year's concert with his family, turned up early and got to chat with some ST journalists.

"I enjoyed chatting with them and finding out about the interesting work they do," he said.

In the evening, music filled the air as the SSO performed family favourites, including National Day song Home by veteran Singapore singer-songwriter Dick Lee.

Even before the concert started, the entire green in front of the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage was packed to the brim with attendees.