National Day 2022: Your guide to Singapore's birthday celebration

Singapore residents react and take photos during the flypast of the State Flag during the 2022 National Day Parade rehearsal.
Singapore residents react and take photos during the flypast of the State Flag during the 2022 National Day Parade rehearsal. (PHOTO: Suhaimi Abdullah/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

SINGAPORE — National Day is coming up, and to celebrate Singapore's 57th birthday, organisers are planning activities all over the island, in addition to the traditional National Day Parade (NDP) at The Float @ Marina Bay on 9 August.

Here is everything you need to know about this year's National Day celebrations in Singapore:

All about National Day

NDP @ Heartlands

National Day celebrations will reach Singapore's heartlands at 12 locations. On 6 and 7 August at five carnival locations, Singaporeans can look forward to family activities, musical and dance performances, and assets displays from Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Home Team.

On 7 August, the Red Lions will perform free-fall jumps over two heartland sites. And on 9 August, there will be flag fly-pasts, as well as fireworks at five locations in the evening.

Heartland carnivals (ticketed events):

  • Central Singapore (Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Ficus Green): 6 August, 4pm to 9pm

  • North East (Punggol open field beside Waterway Point): 6 August, 4pm to 9pm

  • North West (Open space next to Sembawang MRT Station): 6 August, 4pm to 9pm

  • South West (Open field next to Buona Vista MRT Station): 6 August, 4pm to 9pm

  • South East (Wisma Geylang Serai): 7 August, 4pm to 9pm

  • Note: The public can apply for tickets for the carnivals on the NDP website.

Red Lions free-fall jumps (non-ticketed events):

  • Beside Bishan MRT: 7 August, 8:40am to 9:30am

  • Opposite Ghim Moh Market: 7 August, 9:10am to 10:00am

Fireworks @ Heartlands (non-ticketed events):

  • Watch fireworks at five locations on 9 August: Open field beside Ang Mo Kio Library, Old Tampines Junior College, Woodlands Stadium, Jurong West Stadium, Bedok Stadium.

  • Entry into the stadiums starts from 6 pm onwards, subject to capacity limits.

  • Estimated Time of Fireworks: Between 8:15 pm to 8:25 pm

Fly Our Flag and Fighter Island Flypast:

  • Catch the RSAF's F-16s, Chinooks and Apache Helicopters as they make their way through the Heartlands on 9 August, from 5.25 pm to 6.15pm.

A military contingent from the Singapore Armed Forces at the 2018 National Day Parade celebrations at The Float @ Marina Bay.
A military contingent from the Singapore Armed Forces at the 2018 National Day Parade celebrations at The Float @ Marina Bay. (FILE PHOTO: Yahoo News Singapore)

NDP @ The Float

For the final NDP at The Float - with the facility to be redeveloped into NS Square starting in March 2023 - the show will be divided into two segments: Strength of Our Nation and The Story of Us.

In the first segment, the parade ceremony will see the return of the Total Defence Display, with more than 50 assets and 500 participants from the SAF as well as the Home Team. Meanwhile, over 2,000 participants will form 37 virtual and physical contingents for the parade.

With Singapore celebrating 55 years of national service, the parade will also pay a special tribute to all national servicemen in recognition of their service, sacrifices and continued support by their families and employers.

The show segment will depict the collective journey of Singaporeans over the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 2,000 performers will participate in the live performance at The Float.

The NDP will climax with dazzling fireworks at The Float and in the heartlands.

PLEASE NOTE: The public is advised to note the following road closure arrangements. Taxis and private-hire cars will not be available for booking within the vicinity of the road closures. Public buses will also be diverted, and parking at peripheral roads to watch the fireworks display is strictly prohibited.

Temporary Restricted Area (TRA) will be established over parts of Singapore on selected days for NDP-related aerial activities. When the TRAs are in effect, activities such as kite-flying, hoisting of captive balloons and flying of unmanned aircrafts are strictly prohibited.

To check the crowd levels and area closures during National Day, the public can access the Crowd@National Day website by the Singapore Police Force, which provides a live map of the Marina Bay area.

The map will provide real-time updates on areas that have been closed off, either for security purposes or when the crowd size has exceeded the holding capacity of the area. This prevents users from making a wasted trip to an area that would be inaccessible to them.

#PledgeSG and #DoingGood campaigns

Singaporeans are invited to pledge for worthy causes, and fulfil such pledges for causes, during this year's National Day period.

#PledgeSG is calling all Singaporeans to make a pledge to do something good in their own ways. They can either post a photo or video of their pledges on their social media page and add #PledgeSG in the caption; or submit their pledges directly on the campaign's Digital Social Wall.

For the #DoingGood campaign, organisers have put together a range of volunteering opportunities until 6 August. Singaporeans can browse this list for volunteering opportunities during this period.

Official National Day activities

  • Voice of the Nation: Film yourself singing this year’s theme song “Stronger Together”, and stand a chance to be featured in a montage video, as well as win a pair of NDP Show tickets or an August plushie in a lucky draw.

  • Dance of the Nation: Similarly, submit a video of yourself performing the dance moves for the theme song "Stronger Together", and you can also stand a chance to win a pair of NDP Show tickets or an August plushie in the lucky draw.

  • GameOn Nila!: A digital game function in the ActiveSG mobile app that encourages members to stay active while exploring Singapore.

  • Finute Metaverse: Explore a metaverse-rendition of Singapore, where you can drive an armoured vehicle, perform free-fall as a Red Lion, fly an F16 aircraft, and wear different uniforms from the SAF and Home Team.

  • Heritage Hunter: An online game that takes users through the National Heritage Board's Roots website to discover stories of unity and artefacts that symbolise resilience and strength.

  • Xctualyfe Metaverse: A metaverse that allows Singaporeans and people from all over the world to connect, interact and celebrate.

  • Celebrations around the world: The Singapore Global Network will celebrate National Day with a global live show on 6 August, hosted by Hossan Leong and Siti Khalijah.

Other National Day activities in Singapore

Sports Hub's National Day Fiesta

The Singapore Sports Hub is bringing back its National Day Fiesta to celebrate the city-state’s birthday. Here are the sporting activities for the first in-person Fiesta since 2019:

  • Family-friendly activities: Try your hand at the array of fun-filled carnival activities for all ages, such as face painting and airbrush DIY tattoo booths, game stalls featuring old-school games such as pick-up sticks, as well as snack giveaways including popcorn, candy floss and potong ice cream.

  • Workout Lah!: This cardio-fusion dance workout is choreographed to beloved National Day tunes.

  • Amazing Sport Heritage 5+7 Challenge: Participants will have to crack clues and solve mysteries along Sports Hub’s three Sports, Arts and Heritage trails to unlock interesting stories from the past. Win a copy of “The Dream Lives On”, a hardcover book containing a piece of our wonderful heritage worth $20. Participants will have to register online prior to the event.

  • Live NDP telecast and picnic: The National Day Parade (NDP) will be broadcast live at the OCBC Square and Stadium Roar. Bring your own picnic mats, snacks, and best singing voices to belt out your all-time favourite National Day songs. End the night by catching the Sports Hub's own live fireworks display by Stadium Riverside Walk.

  • National Day Family Aquatic Challenge: Held at OCBC Aquatic Centre on 10 August, participants can get avtaste of diving or artistic swimming under the professional guidance of experienced coaches. Registration starts at $10 for 2, and $20 for families of 3 to 5 persons.

NDP traffic announcements

On the eve of National Day (8 August), the following train and bus services will be extended:

  • North-South and East-West Lines: Last trains from City Hall for Marina South Pier, Jurong East, Pasir Ris and Tuas Link depart at 12.30am.

  • Circle Line: Last train from Dhoby Ghaut departs for HarbourFront at 11.55pm, last train from HarbourFront departs for Dhoby Ghaut at 11.30pm.

  • Thomson-East Coast Line: Last train from Woodlands North departs for Caldecott at 11.57pm, last trains from Caldecott depart for Woodlands North at 12.03am and Springleaf at 12.13am.

  • Bukit Panjang Interchange: Last buses for 920, 922, 973A at 1.20am.

  • Choa Chu Kang Interchange: Last buses for 300, 301, 302, 307, 983A at 1.40am.

  • Woodlands Interchange: Last buses for 901, 911, 912A, 912B, 913 at 1.25am

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