More NDP packs to be made available at heartland events

Over the years, National Day Parade (NDP) packs have become coveted items among many Singaporeans.

They will be glad to know that more of these packs will be made available this year for those who do not manage to score tickets to the parade.

"For this year, we are going to have more NDP packs that will be allocated to heartland sites, because this is something we understand every Singaporean household is looking to have," Brigadier-General Wilson Low, chairman of the NDP executive committee, told the media on Thursday (May 23).

As with previous NDPs, festivities will be extended to five heartland locations on Aug 10.

Known as Heartland Celebrations, Singaporeans can look forward to carnival activities, live performances, fireworks, as well as static displays by the Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Civil Defence Force and Singapore Police Force. 

More details will be released at a later date.

Theme song by Benjamin Kheng

Another thing that Singaporeans often look forward to for the nation's birthday is the NDP theme song, which is penned by singer-songwriter Benjamin Kheng this year.

The song, Not Alone, pays homage to NDP classics like Reach Out For The Skies, Where I Belong, Stand Up For Singapore and more, Kheng said.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkqu3oMTs9o[/embed]

Inspired by hardships faced by Singaporeans, Kheng explained: "Generally, life in this day and age, regardless of where you're from, is not easy. I think I spoke from my lived experience and wanted to write something that felt true to me.

"Feelings of isolation, of loneliness, do creep in every now and then… What brings me a lot of comfort is the feeling of home being made up of people - and these people really make this country feel like home to me."

The video of the song was uploaded on YouTube at around 1pm on Thursday and has since garnered more than 11,000 views.

NDP highlights

The main parade on Aug 9 will take place at the Padang, but this year, the event space has been expanded to The Promontory @ Marina Bay, where more spectators can come together, reported The Straits Times.

Among the parade highlights is the Total Defence 40 Dynamic Defence Display, which commemorates the 40th year of Total Defence. A coordinated show will also be held at Marina Bay, in tandem with the one at the Padang.

The audience will also be getting a treat this year — marching contingents will go onto the spectator stand for the first time.

Events leading up to NDP

With the NDP still more than two months away, Singaporeans can get into the celebratory mood early by taking part in some events.

For instance, you can join the FlyOurFlag campaign from July 1. Take a picture of the Singapore flag you've set up for National Day celebrations, then tag and share it on social media. You stand a chance to be featured on official NDP platforms and may also be rewarded with NDP tickets.

Likewise, for the EatAsOne campaign, snap a picture of your family spending quality time together, share it on social media with the right tags and you could also win NDP tickets.

Or contribute to a good cause with the Give As One SG campaign, which was first launched during NDP 2023 as part of a collaboration between the SG Cares Movement and the NDP 2023 Executive Committee.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of volunteering and gives Singaporeans a platform to give back to society — not just during NDP, but also beyond the event.

"We also want NDP to not just be a single-day event, but one with an enduring impact on the rest of the community," Low said.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com