January 01, 2017, 12:20 PM 
New Year celebrations in colonial Singapore were very different from the present day.
According to the National Heritage Board (NHB), right up till the 1960s, while thousands of people did also congregate at the Marina Bay area, more specifically along Collyer Quay, they weren't there to see fireworks.
Instead, they gathered for the annual New Year Sea Sports event. It comprised a series of boat races that would take place off the coast of Collyer Quay in today's Marina Bay.
The regatta featured traditional boats known as 'koleks'.
NHB also shared some interesting pictures of some of these past regattas in a video.
Crowd gathered along Collyer Quay to witness the regatta. Screen grab from NHB's video.
Screen grab from NHB's video
Screen grab from NHB's video
Screen grab from NHB's video
You can watch the full video here:
Top image from NHB's video.
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