Singapore National Day parade
The National Day Parade is an annual parade held in Singapore to commemorate its independence. Held annually on 9 August, it is the main public celebration of National Day, and consists of a parade incorporating contingents of the Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Police Force, Singapore Civil Defence Force, primary and secondary school uniformed groups and other community groups, followed by a cultural presentation featuring music, songs, dance displays, and a fireworks show.
First held on 9 August 1966 to mark the one-year anniversary of Singapore's declaration of independence from Malaysia, it has been celebrated annually ever since. The parade had historically been held at the Padang, but were occasionally held at the former National Stadium, and in a "decentralised" format across the country to encourage wider public participation. Beginning in 1984, the Padang began to host the parade on a regular cycle and during all years marking anniversaries of national significance, with the event otherwise hosted by the National Stadium.
The parade officially takes place on 9 August, with public "preview" performances beginning as early as mid-June. Due to their high demand, tickets for the NDP and its previews have been distributed via an electronic lottery system since 2003.
With the closure of National Stadium in 2007, it would be replaced in the rotation by The Float @ Marina Bay—a temporary, floating venue on Marina Bay designed to host events of national importance while the new National Stadium was under construction. Even with the completion of the new stadium, it would only host the parade once in 2016, after which The Float was designated as the event's "primary" venue. In 2023, the parade began a three-year tenure at the Padang due to the reconstruction of The Float as NS Square.
History
Singapore celebrated its first National Day as an independent nation in 1966, one year after Singapore's separation from Malaysia on 9 August 1965.The inaugural National Day Parade was started in the morning at 9:00 a.m. that day. However, people came as early as 7:00 a.m. in order to get good vantage points. Singapore's first President, Yusof bin Ishak and Singapore's first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, were seated with members of the government at the grandstand on the steps of City Hall. When the parade began, six military contingents, a mobile column from the SIR, and various schools and civil contingents marched past City Hall and then into the city streets. Three military bands accompanied the parade inspection and later the march past with military music. The Singapore Fire Brigade also took part in this first parade with its firetrucks included in the mobile column. Rounding it all was a massed lion and dragon dance performance from drum and dragon troupes nationwide.
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. 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. Street performances by various groups and choirs also debuted in that year's parade. The 1968 parade, 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. 1969's parade, the one where the Mobile Column made its first drivepast, commemorated the 150th year of the city's founding and had Princess Alexandra of the UK as principal guest.
The fifth NDP edition in 1970 introduced the Flypast of the State Flag and the Republic of Singapore Air Force Flypast, as well as the combat simulation performance by Singapore Army personnel was one of the new highlights for that year.
The 1971 NDP included iconic mobile parade floats from various organizations, 1973 was the first parade to be held from late-afternoon to early-evening time in order to promote the parade with better attendance and marked the official debut of the 1st Commando Battalion. The 1974 parade was the first domestic television programme to be broadcast in colour by Channel 5, following a previous pilot broadcast of the FIFA World Cup final.
In 1975, to commemorate the Decennial anniversary of independence, the Parade was, for the first time, decentralised into 13 parade venues for more public participation. Almost all of the venues lasted for an hour and all of them even had route marches on the streets to the participating venues.
By the time the NDP was held at the National Stadium in 1976, the NDP Guard of Honour, composed of officers and personnel of the SAF and the Singapore Police Force made its first appearance, followed after the parade proper by the first evening presentations by various groups, a prelude to future evening NDPs in 1980 and from 1984 onward. The 1976 parade dance performers were mostly female students from the country's schools, since that year marked the start of the United Nations Decade for Women. 1977's parade was a decentralised event like two years before while 1978 returned to Padang. 1979's parade saw another decentralised site, this time being held in many high schools and sports stadiums nationwide. The decentralised format would later be used until 1983, which was the final time NDP was held in multiple venues until 2020.
The 15th installment in 1980 was the first parade to introduce the feu de joie of the Guard-of-Honour contingents. The following year, SPF Civil Defense Command, presently the Singapore Civil Defense Force, later combined with the SFS in 1989, made its inaugural appearance, followed by the SCDF in 1982. The 1981 parade was held in both Jurong and Queenstown Sports Stadiums for further increase public attendance and participation in the celebrations. In 1982, the parade returned at Padang, marking the first time the mobile column drove past after the marchpast had concluded, thus making it a predecessor to the parades at the Padang from 1995 onward, once every five years.
The 1984 installment featured many firsts in commemoration with the Singapore's Silver Jubilee of self-governance, which for the first time, introduced a theme song "Stand Up for Singapore", and included a bigger Mobile Column, the first appearance of the popular Silent Precision Drill Squad from the Singapore Armed Forces Military Police Command and the first evening fireworks display.
The 1986 edition was the first parade held in the late evening, and the first to use flashlights for audience use. Other introductions were featured over the years such as the first appearance of the massed military bands of the SAF, the card stunt, and the Red Lions parachute team and the daylight fireworks. In 1989, the parade was held in the afternoon but the 1991 edition returned to the evening format used since 1986.
In 1993, interactive participation by the public debuted in that year's edition to increase public participation and awareness of the parade as an important part of Singaporean life and as a symbol of national unity and identity. In 1997, organisers began to hold the "National Education Show"—a rehearsal of the parade for an audience of invited school students; the event is intended to provide students with an opportunity to attend at least one NDP.
The 1999 edition, which was the last parade of the century, was the first parade to feature live orchestral music performing for the entire show for the first time by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of American conductor Bart Folse, which was the main music provider for that edition. The orchestra performed one of the songs at the parade such as the 1812 Overture which was played to fireworks at the end, as well as the event's theme song, "Together", and a medley of National Day songs from 1984, 1986, 1998, and 1987. The orchestra would later return 8 years later in 2007 as part of the 240-member NDP 2007 Orchestra along with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, the Malay and Indian ensembles, the Singapore Armed Forces Band, and the SYC Ensemble Singers.
Due to the event's popularity, Singaporeans often lined up in overnight queues for a chance to obtain tickets to the NDP and its preview events; in 1993, the Special Operations Command had to be sent in to control overcrowding at one distribution site, and scalping became common by the mid-1990s due to both high demand and the Asian financial crisis. In 2002, organisers attempted to control crowds by not revealing the distribution sites in advance, but this did not alleviate crowding once the locations became known. In 2003, to rectify these issues, organisers adopted an electronic "ballot" system for tickets, in which residents register online or with a phone number for a chance to receive parade tickets. The new system was not without its initial problems, including tickets being left unclaimed due to applicants providing incorrect phone numbers, and the registration website having difficulties coping with the large amount of traffic.
In 2005 and 2010, aside from the main parade being at the Padang, it was also held at the heartland areas.
On 16 October 2005, it was announced that due to the planned closure and replacement of the National Stadium as part of the Singapore Sports Hub project, the parade would be held there for the last time in 2006, and would move to The Float at Marina Bay—a temporary 27,000-seat grandstand and 130 m × floating platform in Marina Bay —for 2007. Despite offering a seating capacity almost less than half the capacity of the National Stadium, there was a vast area for approximately 150,000 additional spectators along the Marina Bay waterfront.
The 2013 installment featured a spin-off reality competition aired on Channel 5, titled Sing a Nation, which featured ten different groups who performed various songs for a chance at a lead performance for the 2013's parade. 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.
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. 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.
For 2015, portions of the festivities were held at Marina Bay, with screens simulcasting the parade at the Padang, and the fireworks scheduled to be held at Marina Bay and the Marina Reservoir.
In 2016, the NDP was held for the first time at the new National Stadium, in an event that required modifications to the parade's format due to the limitations of the venue. After returning to the venue for 2017, in October 2017 it was announced that The Float would remain the "primary" venue of the NDP when not held at the Padang every five years, and would be redeveloped as a permanent venue known as NS Square. The decision raised questions over whether the costs of renting the National Stadium would diminish the legacy that the former National Stadium had as a site for community events. Contrarily, it was argued that not hosting the NDP at the new National Stadium would free up its schedule for major international sporting events, especially during the summer months.
For the 2018 parade, combat divers from the Republic of Singapore Navy performed free-fall water jumps, the first time during a National Day parade, alongside the Singapore Army's Red Lions. The Red Lions jumped at a record height of 3800m, the highest ever for an NDP and were in wingsuits for the first time.
The 2019 parade would be held at the Padang to commemorate the bicentennial of the founding of modern Singapore.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, the 2020 parade was replaced by a series of broadcast-only events, beginning with the Prime Minister's National Day Message and a downsized parade at the Padang. Appearances by the Mobile Column, Red Lions, and flyovers by F-15SG fighters were scheduled across Singapore, while the traditional Funpacks given at the parade were shipped to each resident. Online programming, home activity ideas, and social media campaigns were also organized. A cultural segment took place at the Star Performing Arts Centre in the evening, reduced to only around 100 performers with social distancing enforced. The organizers stated that they wanted to bring the event "across the island into every Singaporean's home".
In July 2021, it was announced that the 2021 parade would return to The Float in a downsized form. The event would be closed to the public and capped at 30% capacity, with tickets provided exclusively to "everyday heroes". All attendees were required to be fully-vaccinated for COVID-19 and test negative. On 22 July 2021, due to the temporary reimplementation of Phase 2 "Heightened Alert" restrictions, it was announced that the parade would be postponed to 21 August 2021. A closed "ceremonial" parade would be held on 9 August at The Float, which was stated to be similar in format to the previous year's parade.
It was announced that the 2022 parade would return to full capacity, with a goal to "involve as many Singaporeans" as possible. Some safety protocols would remain in place, such as a requirement for all attendees over 12 years of age, and all performers, to be fully-vaccinated. The parade would be the last edition held at The Float before its reconstruction as NS Square ; the 2023 parade would be held at the Padang, and plans were discussed to possibly hold the parade at National Stadium again in 2024.
In September 2023, it was announced that the parade would continue to be held at the Padang for 2024 and 2025, with these two editions marking the 40th anniversary of Total Defence and 60th anniversary of Singapore's independence respectively. Both parades were expected to include satellite events in Marina Bay and the heartland. On 19 August 2025, it was announced that the 2026 parade would return to the new National Stadium in 2026.