SINGAPORE – The National Day Parade (NDP) will return to the Padang in 2024 and 2025, following the 2023 celebration at the historic open space.
Announcing the NDP venue for the next two years, the Ministry of Defence said on Friday that besides celebrating 59 years of independence in 2024, the parade will also commemorate the 40th anniversary of Total Defence.
NDP 2024 will be helmed by Brigadier-General Wilson Low, who is the Chief Guards Officer and commander of the 21st Singapore Division. His unit, the Guards formation, will be organising the parade.
For the first time, there will be a Total Defence 40 (TD40) Dynamic Defence Display at the Padang, which will showcase air and land components from the Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force working with the community to respond to threats and challenges.
Total Defence is a whole-of-nation defence approach that involves all Singaporeans playing a part, individually and collectively, to build a strong, secure and cohesive country.
The 2024 parade will also feature crowd favourites like the Red Lions and a fly-past.
The festivities and the TD40 Dynamic Defence Display will be extended to the Marina Bay area so that more Singaporeans can be involved in the celebrations, said BG Low. Having the parade in the city gives special meaning to what Total Defence is all about.
“We hope that Singaporeans will gather at the Padang and Marina Bay next year. When they look around them, when they look at the beautiful skyline, they’ll be immersed in the atmosphere,” he said.
“That’s where we think that it will reflect our social, military and economic achievements, and together, we will remember our history, celebrate our achievements, and aspire to a brighter future as one people.”
On Aug 10, the day after the parade, the celebrations will continue in five heartland districts, which will have carnivals and a Total Defence static display.
The 2025 parade at the Padang will mark Singapore’s 60th birthday. 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.
To be organised by the army’s 3rd Singapore Division, the 2025 edition will include an integrated show at the Padang, which will combine traditional segments such as the parade and ceremony, an aerial display, a mobile column and fireworks. A satellite site at Marina Bay is planned, so more can enjoy the live celebrations. Those who snag a spot in the area can see the mobile column and the marching contingents, and watch the parade broadcast on LED screens.
Those in the heartland can attend themed carnivals that will feature musical and dance performances, and elements from the parade. BG Cai Dexian, commander of the 3rd Singapore Division, said he wants to make the nation’s 60th birthday celebration as inclusive and consultative as possible.
He said the aim is to engage as wide a variety of sectors as possible, including “the public sector, the private sector, civil society, (and) Singaporeans across the board, and try to take in their views, suggestions and feedback about what they would like to see, (and) how they would like to commemorate 60 years of nationhood”.
