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The spirit beyond the bay
Article provided courtesy of The Straits Times
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| 12,288 NTUC members and their families and friends form the Singapore flag, using red and white plastic inflatables and LED lights. The nation's largest human flag measured 115m by 86m. |
Marina Bay may have hosted the main event but the party mood also reigned in nearby spots, including the Padang.
There, more than 12,000 National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) members and their families and friends gathered to form the nation's largest human flag, using red and white plastic inflatables and LED lights.
Despite the heavy drizzle, most stayed put for a full five-and-a-half hours, including service staff Hayati Karim, 42. She came with 35 family members spanning four generations, all of whom got to be a part of the flag.
It was the first time in six years that the whole family got together on National Day, she said. Hundreds without tickets milled around outside the venue, but British tourists Steven and Judy Maddox, who chanced upon the Padang party, found themselves part of it when a stranger thrust tickets into their hands.
Said Mr Maddox, an operations manager: "We were really excited. We felt very lucky to be a part of the flag, even though it wasn't our country's." The Esplanade Waterfront was invaded by tens of thousands of people.
As early as 10am, families armed with mats, tents and food set up camp along the passageway from The Esplanade to One Fullerton for an eight-hour vigil before the start of the bay show.
For housewife Safura Mohd Taib, 37, it took a week of planning before her family of 30 could make their yearly trip to see the parade.
"We came to survey the waterfront a day before to find the perfect spot that is near the parachute landing site - and the toilets. We also spent the week cooking nasi lemak, mee goreng, fried chicken wings and even fried eel."
There was plenty to do. Long queues snaked outside the face-painting booths while a small group played traditional kampung games like zero-point and chatek.
By 4pm, there was hardly any elbow room at the waterfront.