This year, a familiar calendar event will be taking on a different look as the 55th National Day Parade goes ahead amidst a global pandemic. During this inspection, the President will be accompanied by the Chief of Defence Force and the Parade Commander, and the Army GOH Contingent Commander would later join them once they approach the Guard-of-Honour (recent parades have seen a motorized inspection by the President while riding a Land Rover). Every year, Singaporeans look forward to the release of the National Day song — this year’s tune being “Everything I Am”, performed by Nathan Hartono. Slogans have also be used, such as "Our Singapore, Our Future", first used in the 1997 celebrations. Speaking to some 160 guests at a dinner to pay tribute to Singapore's pioneer generation of Tamil teachers, Mr Shanmugam honoured the 65 seniors who have "nurtured in all of us a love for Tamil and an appreciation of its history and beauty". The Singapore Fire Brigade also took part in this first parade with its firetrucks included in the mobile column. In addition, the mobile columns will be covering a total distance of around 200km, the longest distance it has travelled into the heartlands in order to allow more Singaporeans to view them. [2], The following year in 1967, the contingents increased to 76, including those of the then established Singapore Armed Forces, the RSP and more cultural groups, with the addition of more civil marching groups. Civilians also sit on the EXCO as representatives of the various public agencies involved. Speaking of skydiving, the Singapore’s Red Lions have come to be a well-loved segment of the parade, dazzling spectators with their breathtaking free-fall displays. [20][21], The venue of the parade was once held at Padang, the site where of Singapore's independence was declared.

[11] Starting in 2008, the NDP is also aired all over the Asia-Pacific region through CNA, and since 2012, it was simulcast to other internet web-streaming websites such as Toggle, xinmsn (defunct since 2015), and YouTube (along with the parade's official channel, NDPeeps). Various technologies notable include the Projecteur d’Images Géantes Informatisées in 2003, a water-curtain visualization in 2007, and LED Mash in 2008. [13][14] The 2014 parade was notable as it was the last parade with the attendance for the first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, who was the only member to have attended in every installment of NDP since 1966, as he died on 23 March the following year. In a departure from the usual, CNA aired only the morning ceremony to millions of viewers with the channel's special holiday documentary taking the place of the evening show broadcast. The parade usually last for an hour and ends with the Chief of Defence Force, the Chairman of that year's NDP EXCO and the organizers to cutting a cake to commemorate the efforts with the participants with speeches of gratitude. crowd of 27,000 at the National Stadium.7 In 1985, a version of the song was recorded by local celebrity singers for an album produced by the Singapore Police. 1979's parade saw another decentralized site, this time being held in many high schools and sports stadiums nationwide.

"My intention is to inspire the young to become tomorrow's leaders who can help grow and develop Singapore," the father of three told The Sunday Times. Temporary tattoos, now a staple of the funpack, were first introduced in 1999, and subsequent packs have included lights, clappers, and flags so that attendees could contribute to the atmosphere of the parade.

Typically, both the Parade RSM and the Parade Commander come from the SAF, and usually hold a minimum rank of Master Warrant Officer, and Lieutenant Colonel respectively. Colorful costumes and dance moves have been designed for the motivators. | The 1968 edition, although held on a rainy morning that surprised even the marching contingents and the dignitaries, saw the first ground performances on the Padang as the weather improved - a prelude to today's show performances. 1977's parade was a decentralized event like two years before (and like 1968's was affected by wet weather) while 1978 returned to Padang.

Copyright © 2020 Mothership. Most funpacks are designed by students from local polytechnics and community services, although an exception happened 2015, where people from all walks of life designed 50 designs for the funpack, which also include a Singa Lion Figurine, some snacks and games. Marriage preparation, support programmes for Singa... 71% of m-cycle accidents are self-inflicted: Survey. Other National Day songs continue to be featured during the parade, either in the Pre-Parade segment, Parade and Ceremony segment or used as tunes to accompany the mass displays during the show part of the celebrations. Cloud hosting by Vodien. That year's edition saw past NDP theme songs being played during the arrival segments, and broke tradition by having the Sing Singapore Medley sung as the epilogue after the national anthem was played. Image by Terence Tan/MCI via Lee Hsien Loong's Facebook page. Image from Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. In 1967, RI's then head of music, who was also the Education Ministry's music director, decided to adopt the Tamil song as one of the official community songs that was taught and sung in every school. Nonetheless, only few National Day songs which struck a chord among Singaporeans continue to be sung annually in the parade. True to the circumstances of this year, NDP2020’s funpack will include a thermometer, hand sanitiser, and face masks. It has its origins in early NDPs as various mass display items put up by community groups or schools to add colour to the otherwise military parade.

Monday, July 21, 2014. Together with the cabinet and the other Members of Parliament, he took a seat in the rain at the Padang. The 2020 parade, first announced to return to The Float, will not take place as a measure enacted for safety reasons as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with decentralized celebrations taking its place. The irony of this decision was because Singaporeans complained that the recent NDP songs were uninspiring. This section evolved over the years to become more theatrical, from the massive flashcard displays that complemented the parade in the 1980s to multimedia projections in recent Shows. Pause, engage brain, attain enlightenment, By Jermyn Chow, The Sunday Times, 12 Oct 2014, If there is one song that brings a smile to Mr S. Jesudassan's face, it is the popular Tamil melody. He also called on the new generation of Tamil teachers to continue the legacy of their predecessors.

[18][19], Since 1998, a unique logo design was selected to represent NDP on all fronts. Speaking to The Straits Times in 2015 while the nation mourned the death of Lee Kuan Yew, Philip Cheng who was part of the National Cadet Corps contingent at the 1968 parade said: “We were completely soaked but… we were not bothered by the rain.”. [3] The reason is partly due to the introduction of the National Service program in the military and police forces, and later extended to the Fire Brigade, later called the Singapore Fire Services in the 1970s. In recent years the order of the march past of the supporting contingents out of the grounds has been altered, with the military and civil uniformed services first to march out, followed by the economic firms, social organizations and the youth uniformed organizations which march last out and then into the platform stands. These troupes later became integral parts of the 1985 and 1988 (evening) NDP editions. In fact, NDP 2017 song’s lyrics come with many hidden caveats—caveats that only apply to sections of the populace. Even a young Lee Hsien Loong could be spotted marching with his school band. The winner of Singapore Idol 2004, Taufik Batisah, became a prominent choice to lead the nation in singing the NDP 2005's theme song "Reach Out for the Skies", alongside singer-actress Rui En. “My relatives and friends were still waiting. Advertise with us Before 2007, the theme songs come in two languages, the lingua franca in Singapore – English as well as Mandarin. The 2012 edition of the parade, the very first National Day Parade officiated by the President Tony Tan Keng Yam, had the Onward March which was now done for the second time by all of the youth uniformed groups present while the military and civilian supporting contingents marched out in a different way similar to the march pasts during the 2000 and 2010 editions with all of them rejoining for the City Marchpast to be done later with the GOH contingent battalion to Marina Bay Sands where the march ended. In 2019, the funpacks are environmentally-friendly unlike the NDP 2018 Funpack. Spectators braving the rain, NDP1966. In 2016, the parade returned to the new National Stadium, first opened in 2014. (Since 1989 a deaf Representative has been present to sign the Pledge for deaf viewers of the event.). National Day Songs There is one thing that I look forward to every year, during Singapore's National Day celebration. At the end of it (with the GOH contingents now at shoulder arms), the Parade Commander will ask the President for permission for the Parade Marchpast to start. Photo by Zheng Zhangxin. The site, however, was the only feasible venue for the mobile column, as the heavy vehicles could not be driven onto the stadium track. 1974's parade marked the first time the parade was broadcast in full-colour, after such television was introduced for the first time a month prior on 7 July. The ceremonial events, just like last year, were held in the Padang, which had the first ever midday celebrations for the first time in many years, while the Mobile Column was once more present also in the heartlands areas. The 2013's theme song, "One Singapore", was also sung by the cast of Sing a Nation, and the song featured its largest ensemble, with 68 members.[12]. ", Singapore Fake News Law: POFMA (Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act), Workers' Party MPs Court Case against Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC), PM Lee Hsien Loong's speech at the Debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President on 2 September 2020. [22], The Padang, although historically important, posed a greater logistical challenge and also offered fewer seats for spectators. Undeterred, Ng returned in 2014, and finally made history in 2014’s parade. Under the Sing Singapore Festival, which inaugurated in 1984, numerous community songs have been composed. The spectacular show segment follows the traditional parade and ceremony, and lasts normally for 45 minutes. An example was in 2005, where the tagline for NDP 2005 was "The Future is Ours to Make", was placed on the theme "40 Years of Nation Building".

The 1981 parade was held in both Jurong and Queenstown Sports Stadiums for further increase public attendance and participation in the celebrations. The decentralized format would later be used until 1983, which was the final time NDP was held in multiple venues until 2020. A melody of past songs was used instead for the year. The 2014 installment also featured its first female Red Lion parachutist to jump at the NDP, Third Warrant Officer Shirley Ng, after their initial performance in 2013 was cancelled due to weather conditions. In previous years, the final song in English (before the President's arrival) has always been the NDP theme song (in 2007 this was not the case) while in NDP 2008, all the songs performed in the P&C segment (in between arrivals) were all previous NDP theme songs in recent years. Furthermore, a policeman was forced into drawing his revolver to break up a fight between two dragon dance troupes. No National Day Parade 2014 Theme song There will be no new National Day Parade (NDP) theme song this year. Persuading students to study engineering a challen... Mark Zuckerberg springs a surprise with Q&A in Man... New book traces Chiam See Tong's road to Parliament, S'pore 'must learn to fight dark forces of prejudice', Cycling can be viable transport mode: Khaw Boon Wan, Rising tide of litter on S'pore's shorelines. So when it was announced that there will not be any new theme song for this year's NDP, my heart sank.