The various organisations were well-represented, their personnel standing by and ready to supply one and all with information. If the National Day Parade on the 9th of August is the main course, the festivals organised by these organisations are truly deserving of being called the appetisers and desserts. It was a NDP 2008 Media Event on the 16th of July 2008, and the purpose was to fill the media in on the various other celebrations going on around town at the same time.

Exciting performances such as that of the band “Cats In The Cradle”, who will be featured at the Heart Rock Concert on the 16th of August 2008 ensured that the atmosphere was light-hearted – after all, celebrations were the order of the day. LTC Sunilkumar, Chairman of the Celebrations Committee, stepped up to introduce the concept and features of this year’s celebrations to the public. According to him, the focus this year will be elements of the Singapore Spirit such as ruggedness, togetherness, the arts, creativity and heritage.

Innovation too, he might add. Dancers dressing as bugs heralded the start of the Singapore Garden Festival, “bringing together the world’s top award-winning garden and floral designers”, while the F1 racing cars around introduced the K1 Race Finals and Carnival. The most captivating though, was a fire performance by some very skilled performers who will feature at Bornfire, a fire festival that features both local and foreign acts.

With NDP 2008 edging closer and closer, it was indeed fitting to talk of celebrations and the celebrating that day – when would be a better time to celebrate than this year, when the nation celebrates the Singapore Spirit?

Want to know more about the various celebrations going on this year? Find out more here.