Singapore celebrated its 55th birthday on August 9 amid the COVID-19 pandemic with a parade, an evening show and fireworks, albeit with a difference.
The coronavirus pandemic forced crowds to stay at home but the celebrations for Singapore National Day were grand and spectacular with viewers watching on television.
The theme for this year was ‘Together, A Stronger Singapore’ – encouraging the people of Singapore to remain united and work together to help the nation out of the repercussions of the pandemic.
A significant feature of the celebrations were tributes to frontline workers who have been leading the charge in battling the deadly virus for the last few months.
The celebrations began with an event in the morning at the Padang, featuring a maritime sail-past to celebrate frontline workers who, along with PM Lee Hsien Loong and President Halimah, received a salute from the NDP contingents.
The parade this year featured only the Singapore Armed Forces and the Singapore Police Force, with reduced sized contingents.
The evening saw performances, broadcast live from The Star Performing Arts Centre – featuring singers Charlie Lim, John Lee, Rebekah Sangeetha Dorai and Umar Sirhan; a multilingual song-and-dance performance by local musicians and comedians; a light and sound show in the third act and interviews with frontline workers and volunteers.
The end of the day's celebrations was marked with the pledge, the National Anthem and fireworks at 10 locations around Singapore.
