Chingay Parade bigger and better in 2010

This year the ‘Parade of Dreams’ is certainly dreaming big. Presently into its 38th year, Chingay Parade Singapore is aiming to make 2010’s parade a grand occasion that will leave an indelible impression behind.

The parade will be held on the 19^th and 20^th of Feb 2010, which are the 6th and 7th Day of the Chinese New Year respectively.

The most noteworthy arrangement of this year’s parade is that it will be held right in the heart of the city. The main organiser, the People’s Association, has located the parade to a 1 km stretch from the F1 Pit Building to the Singapore Flyer. This purpose of this move is to enlarge the audience capacity.

To accommodate the high demand for tickets, the People’s Association has increased the ticketed audience capacity from 8,300 to 18,000 per night. Even so, tickets are already sold out, much to the dismay of many.Thankfully, there will be free standing spaces allocated to non-ticketed members of the audience, which will include 47 year-old Mr Tay.

“I was so disappointed to find out that all the tickets were already sold out. I really wanted to get good seats so that my family and I could enjoy a better view of the parade. But we will still be going to soak in the sights,” said the marketing executive and father of two.

This year’s parade will involve a total of 5,000 local and overseas performers. Besides the usual display of giant floats, Chingay Parade Singapore 2010 promises to deliver a wider range of performances to cater to a larger demographic.

Cosplay fans are in for a treat, as Cosplay performances will be featured for the first time in the parade. On the other hand, musically inclined audiences can expect to be serenaded by the likes of Singapore Idol Taufik Batisah and 2009 Idol finalist Tabitha Nauser (Pictured above).

Resorts World at Sentosa, one of the Integrated Resorts of Singapore, has been roped in as one of the anchoring performing groups for the very first time. This timely collaboration will serve as a platform to grant audiences a sneak preview of what the resort has to offer through their float display.

Audiences can eagerly anticipate this year’s spectacular Opening Ceremony. This segment, usually presided by the President of Singapore, will involve two “Firecracker Dragons” specially brought in from China. On top of that, the Singapore Flyer, the world’s largest Observation Wheel, will present a giant float.

It is common knowledge that the Chingay Finale has a reputation of ending with a big bang. The grand finale is slated to have six colourful floats, 2000 performers, acrobatic acts and even fireworks.

The publicity for this year’s parade shows a great exhibition of effort to raise public awareness and interest.

For the very first time, the People's Association, together with Orchard Road Business Association, brought a snippet of Chingay Parade to delighted city shoppers on the 23-24 and 30-31 of Jan 2010. (Pictured below)

For one hour per night, the evening streets of Orchard Road were transformed into a lively and colourful scene as more than 30 performers rocked the town with rhythmic drum beats, ethical dances and stilt walking. There was even a Star Wars themed performance.

This mini preview parade aimed to treat locals and tourists alike to a generous serving of Singapore’s diverse cultural roots. Present at the exclusive preview was Jeffrey Palma, a tourist who immensely enjoyed the colourful displays.

“It was a beautiful, unforgettable sight. The dancers, performers and music just made the streets come alive. Its too bad I won’t be around for the actual parade,” Jeffrey gushed.