Our Parade
The NDP 09 is differentiated from previous years’ by the One Show concept; whereby the Parade and Ceremony, which was traditionally a distinct segment, is now part of a 10-chapter story. The Parade and Ceremony segment will be featured in Chapter 3 of the One Show concept as “Our Parade”. The parade will feature 23 Marching Contingents made up of people from all walks of life coming together as one united people, marching towards a brighter future.
Traditional favourites such as the bomb burst; State Flag fly pass and Presidential Gun Salute will continue to be featured. This year’s parade will also provide a new experience for the spectators both in and around the Float@Marina with the introduction of a City March-Pass segment and a new format for the Presidential Gun Salute.
Chairman of NDP 2009 Parade and Ceremony Committee, Colonel Chee Wai Mun, said: “The Parade and Ceremony segment is a key anchor and traditional favourite of NDP. We have participants from all walks of life, coming together on parade. It is really about one united people, a united Singapore, marching forward together.”
Highlights of the Parade
This year’s Parade and Ceremony segment, scheduled to begin at 6.58 pm, will last for approximately 38 minutes. It will feature the following:
1. The Marching Contingents will make a simultaneous five-prong entry onto the stage. They will be singing a familiar marching song “We are One”, as they march into the Parade.
2. One of the key highlights of NDP 09 will be the sailing-in of the ceremonial 25-Pounder Guns for the Presidential Gun Salute. For the first time, the Presidential Gun Salute will be fired on the water in the Marina Bay in full view of the spectators in and around the Bay. The guns will be stationed approximately 200 metres from the seating gallery, against the backdrop of the Merlion and One Fullerton. It will be a majestic sight and will provide a new multi-sensory experience for all.
3. A new City March-pass segment will also be introduced to engage Singaporeans who have come together to celebrate the Nation’s Birthday around the bay. The City March-pass will see the contingents marching along a 3.2 kilometres stretch of road, against the backdrop of famous landmarks like the Esplanade, the Merlion, the old Supreme Court and the City Hall. The City March-Pass will bring the celebrations from the Float@Marina out to the city, and provide an up-close and exciting parade experience to all Singaporeans.
Parade Contingents
This year also marks the 25th year of Total Defence. All five elements of Total Defence (Military, Civil, Economic, Social and Psychological Defence) will be represented in the Parade. Organisations represented are the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), the Singapore Police Force (SPF), the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), Uniformed Youth Organisations (UYO) from various schools, People’s Action Party (PAP) and National Trade and Congress Union (NTUC), SembCorp Marine and CapitaLand. The parade, formed by people from different sectors, signifies the importance of defence, and that every Singaporean has a part to play in defending our homeland to secure our future.
About 2,000 participants are involved in this year’s parade.
Photos of the Parade & Ceremony Committee can be viewed here.