NDP 2019 to feature more youth performers
85 per cent of those involved in the Show segment are below 35
The Show segment for National Day Parade (NDP) 2019 will have the largest proportion of youth performers in a decade. More than 2,700 performers are involved and 85 per cent are aged below 35.
NDP 2019 will have six acts, four of which will come with a classic NDP song.
As this year's NDP celebrates Singapore's bicentennial, the show will feature floats of organisations established during colonial Singapore's early years, such as Singapore General Hospital (1821) and the General Post Office (1819).
Explaining the decision to anchor the acts with a classic NDP song, entertainer Dick Lee, NDP 2019's creative director, said: "There are new Christmas songs every year, but we sing the same old songs - Jingle Bells and Silent Night.
"We keep singing them because they are the ones we remember. We have a great collection of old NDP songs, so why not use them for the show?"
For an immersive experience, every spectator will be given an LED wristband that lights up during the performances, allowing them to be a part of the show.
In Act Five, titled Our Dreams, about 860 students from primary and secondary schools will be performing and the audience will be treated to a laser show. A six-metre tall metallic lion puppet will appear as part of the act's finale.
Nishaad Gopalakrishnan, 13, will be performing in Act Five with the rest of his Secondary One peers from Temasek Secondary School.
He told The New Paper: "I'm scared to perform, but I also want to have fun. I'm happy I get to have this opportunity not a lot of people have."
Madam Pungut Yahya, 58, and her granddaughter, Dahlia Maisarah Muhari, 11, will be performing together in Act Three, Our River, which celebrates Singapore's multiculturalism.
Madam Pungut has been performing in NDP shows since 2003, and this is the first time she will be performing with her granddaughter.
Said Dahlia: "I am nervous to perform because I don't want to make mistakes, so I have been practising at home."
Successful ticket applicants who were notified on June 24 through e-mail can collect their tickets from July 5 to 7 and July 12 to 14 between 10am and 9pm at Raffles City Level 3 Atrium.
Applicants will have to produce the e-mail notification and bring along their original NRIC, driver's licence or birth certificate for verification purposes. Uncollected tickets will be forfeited after July 14.
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