59 ways to celebrate Singapore’s National Day

Seven ways to experience the parade

Be a diehard patriotic: If you’re not among the 27,000 lucky individuals witnessing the National Day Parade (NDP) live at the Padang, relax and savour the spectacle from the comfort of your couch. Enjoy stunning aerial displays and energetic music performances by a cast of 3,000. Audiences can expect an explosion of visual splendour, a hallmark of well-known visual artist Brian Gothong Tan’s artistic vision. The show will kick off with a performance by Amni Musfirah, who is also the co-creative director of ChildAid 2024, the annual year-end charity concert organised by The Business Times and The Straits Times.

Get naughty with Gurmit: Comedian Gurmit Singh, who used to host NDPs regularly, is having an NDP watch party at The Projector with three other comedians: drag artist Becca D’Bus, TikTok star Daisy Anne Mitchell and cabaret performer Lychee Bye (who happens to be his daughter). Prepare for an irreverent, uncensored live commentary on the parade, complete with drinking games and a best-dressed contest. This event is only for those 18 and up. Visit Riot! Drag Show for details.

Curate your playlist: A recent survey by Milieu Insight of 1,000 Singapore citizens whittled down Singaporeans’ favourite NDP songs to a handful. Half of the Singaporeans polled picked Home sung by Kit Chan as the best NDP song, followed by Where I Belong by Tanya Chua.  What you like may depend on how old you are: Over one in three aged 16 to 24 chose 2011’s In A Heartbeat sung by Sylvia Ratonel, and almost two out of three aged 25 to 34 picked Home.