To commemorate 60 years of national service, the National Day Parade (NDP) will return to the Padang in 2027, said Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing on today (Aug 25).
“Next year will be a special year for us,” he added. “The organising committee will try and plan something special for all Singaporeans, particularly for all those who have served to keep us safe the past 60 over years.”
While noting that the familiar Padang venue makes it “easy” for the NDP team to stick to the tried and tested, Chan said: “We want every NDP to be special. We want every NDP to be able to break new ground to show the world what we are capable of, and not just what we are used to and what we are familiar with.”
“It’s okay for us to try. It’s okay that it doesn’t come out perfectly, but the fact that we dare to try and keep improving is the essence of every NDP,” he added.
Over the years, the NDP has been held at the field to coincide with milestone celebrations – from the first parade in 1966 to Singapore’s golden jubilee in 2015 and the bicentennial in 2019.
The Padang can accommodate about 27,000 spectators.
The minister was speaking at an appreciation function held at D’Marquee in Downtown East.
During the event, Mr Chan gave out awards to 27 gold award recipients and 109 principal partners for their contributions to NDP 2026. The gold award recipients included the parade’s creative director Brian Gothong Tan, chairman of the show committee Wong Zeng Yu, and executive committee chairman Lim Han Yong.
The principal partners included Nanyang Polytechnic’s School of Design and Media, volunteer group Heartwarmers and Defence Collective Singapore.
Chief of Defence Force Aaron Beng handed out 396 other awards at the function.
Mr Chan, who is also the Coordinating Minister for Public Services, acknowledged that NDP 2026 was not easy, as it was held at the National Stadium for the first time in 10 years.
“It was in some sense a brand-new experience for many. We don’t have many people who have organised the NDP previously in the stadium still with us in the organising team,” he said.
Some of the difficulties, he noted, included having to accommodate the higher number of spectators, the size of the stage – which was about 30 per cent bigger than that of the Padang – as well as the expectations of spectators, who were accustomed to watching traditional elements like the Red Lions.
While there were 42,000 spectators in the stadium enjoying the show, there were no mobile column, Red Lions and aerial display due to “safety and operational concerns”. THE STRAITS TIMES
