Remembering National Day in Our Own Ways

It was sometime before the year 2000 when I had my first “real” National Day celebration.

After years of seeing sights, sounds, and colours through the television tube, my father, a real estate agent, had a surprise for the family.

We aren’t going to the Padang, he cautioned us. But we are going to see the fireworks.

And, in the late-1990s, when parade fireworks were a singular attraction – rather than the multi-spectacle across the heartlands today – the prospect was enough to excite us.

The high-rise Tanjong Rhu building was a zone of dead silence – its main residents of expats out for holiday. It was the perfect vantage point for us.

A fireworks display over Marina Bay during National Day Parade 1993. (c1993. Image from Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore)

My memories of that day are still clear: my family laying out food like a picnic on the bleach-white marble floor, a bulky CRT television we carried from home placed against the wall, my kindergarten-aged self running excitedly out of the shower (and falling, face-down, on the way) when I heard the fighter jets whiz by.

We were just across the city, divided by an area now known as Nicoll Highway, and the distance didn’t matter. The songs blared out of the speakers, meats were sizzling on the grill – we watched as the fireworks grew larger than life in front of us.

Pictured: a standard CRT television set often found in Singaporean households in the 1990s. (Gift of Ng Beng Kie, collection of National Museum of Singapore)

Even after years of attending parade rehearsals with schoolmates, or watching the proceedings with friends, that remains my favourite National Day. And, no matter how we may feel now about the holiday, many of us have at least one August 9th like that. For some of us, it’s several.

“Today Is Our Day”

It’s easy to take the idea for granted that every Singaporean partakes in National Day.

Every July, you may hear the jets while working from home. You may see HDB blocks on your way home embellished with hanging Singaporean flags. On weekends, you could either take a detour through town to accommodate the roadblocks, or stay out of the city altogether. The festive spirit is alive even a month before the parade.

A contingent from Singapore Police Force marching down Tanjong Pagar Road on the day of the first-ever National Day Parade in 1966, watched by spectators lining both sides of the road and from the residences. (c1966. Image from Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore)

“Today is our day,” radio personality Claude Doral proudly declared to listeners during the live broadcast of the first-ever National Day Parade in 1966, a momentous event back then in Singapore’s brief history. “It belongs to the people of Singapore.”[1]

In the decades since, we’ve borne witness to the parade festivities through many mediums: the humble FM radio, fuzzy black-and-white television, vivid colour television, striking high-definition television, and, finally, seamless social media livestreams.

And if it wasn’t through convenient home consumption, we were ferried to parade rehearsals in primary school as a merciful off-day treat from studying. For those of us born in the decades since independence, these events have been ingrained in our collective memory. The parades have become tradition – and so have our ways of partaking in the fun of it all.

The NDP Camaraderie

“I can't say I've ever seen an entire NDP before!” said Kulbir, a friend, laughing when I asked about any National Day traditions he may have or had.

It may seem almost inconceivable that there are Singaporeans among us who would claim to have never seen a parade before. Yet, he’s not devoid of sentimentality over the holiday – quite the opposite. “I watched it on TV once as a kid at my grandma's in Eunos,” he said.

Spectators in 1966 filling up a multi-storey building in Chinatown to view the National Day Parade held at the Padang. (c1966. Image from Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore)

“I remember rushing from the living room to the kitchen during the fireworks to see them live in the distance. I was super young but I remember someone carrying me and holding me firmly as we looked out the window!” Even if the parade isn’t your cup of tea, the fireworks are what brings everyone together.

And then, there are the school activities, rehearsal trips aside. “I loved everything about it,” Leah said. “Singing my heart out to the National Day songs with my friends, gathering in the school hall and watching the funny skits and performances our teachers had in line for us, getting matching face tattoos with my friends.” Don’t forget the dances to National Day songs too, where each year’s parade song is given the kid-friendly choreography treatment.

Every year, NDP presents a theme that establishes its story of the nation. But a perennial theme will always be the diversity we enjoy as citizens. “We'd have an extended assembly session (no morning classes!) singing songs in all the languages,” Delfina remembered. “I think it was because of this, I can still remember the lyrics to ‘Munnaeru Vaalibaa’ and ‘Di Tanjong Katong’ by heart.”

“On these days, we had no lessons, which meant getting to end early,” Leia added. “And it was followed by a public holiday the next day!”

Alongside face paint, spectators these days also show up to the National Day Parade with temporary face tattoos. (c2025. Image from NDP 25)

Sure, National Day festivities in school often came with fitting rewards. But it was also a welcomed change of pace from everyday school life. And if patriotism didn’t rile students up enough, school pride sure did.

“We belted out those songs like there was no tomorrow,” Larissa remembered, adding that her school was featured in the music video for the National Day Parade song that year. “Because that video was shot near our primary school, we were even more into singing it.”

Power of Parade

As for attending the National Day Parade itself, it’s an event not everyone gets to enjoy in person.

While tickets – which are handed out to applicants via a balloting process – are free of charge, the parade can only hold so many people: about 27,000 at both the Padang and the Marina Bay Floating Platform. When the parade was held at the former National Stadium (now the Singapore National Stadium), it could accommodate twice as many people. The first NDP at National Stadium in 1976 hosted more than 65,000 spectators. [2]

A display screen above spectators, pictured at National Day Parade 1992 held at National Stadium. (c1992. Image from Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore)

Through the years, from the expansion of the nationwide MRT network, to the opening of the Marina Bay Floating Platform – itself just a few minutes’ walk from the Esplanade MRT Station – along with the digital distribution of tickets, the parade has become easier to attend and plan around. This is especially in comparison to the NDPs of yesteryear, when Singaporeans queued up for tickets overnight – sometimes, for as long as two days.[3]

These days, if you are attending with a group of friends, it isn’t difficult to spend a few hours in the city for lunch and shopping before heading to the parade. “My first time attending the National Day Parade was with my close friends,” Leanne said.

“I remember being so excited to wear red, having the Singapore flag tattooed on my face and just enjoying the whole day with friends. I remember the thrill and excitement watching all the performances.”

Spectators pictured at a full-dress rehearsal for National Day Parade 2025. (c2025. Image from NDP 25)

The thrill isn’t limited to the fireworks, which many Singaporeans can now see without making the journey over to the city. Notably, the 2025 edition – held both at the Padang and the Marina Bay Floating Platform in a record feat – boasts the largest mobile stage in its history[4], a 7m-tall, 360-degree contraption with 270 LED screens.

Once August sets in, no matter the location, the spirit of the occasion runs strong. In 2025, with the added SG60 celebrations in full-swing, it’s also a reminder of how far Singapore has come when we pay attention to how these parades have evolved in ambition and grandeur.

This year’s event attempts to bridge the gap between its two main venues via ingenious logistics. But whether we're watching from a borrowed condo unit, rushing to a window to catch the fireworks, tuning in via YouTube, or joining thousands at the Padang, the heart of National Day remains unchanged – it's about creating moments that bind us together as Singaporeans.