This year’s National Day celebrations will be different.

The Covid-19 pandemic has prompted a rethink of how Singapore will celebrate her 55th birthday come Aug. 9. Themed “Together, A Stronger Singapore”, this year’s celebration will extend into our heartlands and homes.

This is not the first time the National Day Parade (NDP) is decentralised. NDP celebrations in certain years between 1975 to 1983 were also held across different venues to make festivities more informal and casual.

So, what will NDP2020 be like?

Promising a day of celebrations, this year’s NDP will mainly happen across two shows — a morning show at the Padang and an evening show at Star Performing Arts Centre.

Morning show

Kicking off at 10:20am, the morning show, titled “Strength of Our Nation” will focus on history and traditions. Its venue, Padang, is where the first National Day Parade was held.

The show will begin with the Prime Minister’s National Day Message followed by familiar features of past parades. They include:

Parade and Presidential Gun Salute

A traditional parade with the President as the Reviewing Officer will take place at the Padang. There will be a salute by the parade to pay tribute to frontline and essential workers. There will also be the Presidential Gun Salute.

National Anthem and State Flag Flypast

Commencing at 10:30am, this year’s state flag flypast will involve two sets of Chinooks and accompanying Apache Helicopters flying on separate eastern and western routes of Singapore.

The eastern route will cover areas including Marine Parade, Pasir Ris, and Punggol while the western route will cover areas including West Coast, Woodlands, Jurong West and the vicinity around Macritchie Reservoir.

Concurrent flag-raising ceremonies will also be happening across the island as the National Anthem is played at the Padang.

Maritime Sailpast

Vessels from the Republic of Singapore Navy, Police Coast Guard, Singapore Civil Defence Force, and Maritime and Port Authority will sail past the waters against the backdrop of the Marina Bay Skyline.

Mobile Column

The mobile column returns to the heartlands this year. Through five different routes across Singapore, assets from the Singapore Armed Forces and Home Team will drive past key community places such as schools and hospitals.

Red Lions

For the first time, the Red Lions will make their appearance in the heartlands. They will be descending onto the fields near Sengkang General Hospital and Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

Here’s a look at one of their rehearsals in Sengkang last month:

Roar of Unity

This will be hard to miss. Six F-15SGs will fly over the heartlands in formation as a show of appreciation to frontline workers.

They will begin at Padang at 10:45am and fly past 8 hospitals — Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Sengkang General Hospital, Changi General Hospital, Khoo Teck Puat General Hospital, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, National University Hospital, Alexandra Hospital and Singapore General Hospital.

Evening Show

If you’re wondering about the fireworks, that’s where the evening show comes in. The show will culminate with the Pledge Moment, Light Up Moment, and fireworks display in 10 locations across the heartlands.

Held in an indoor venue for the first time, the show will also feature films and live stage performances, and will tell inspirational and uplifting stories of real Singaporeans during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The inaugural NDP virtual choir compiled from singing submissions of everyday Singaporeans will also be broadcasted here.

Getting into the National Day spirit

The active participation of Singaporeans at home is a key part of this year’s NDP. This is how you can get into the spirit from home in the lead up to and on Aug. 9.

1) Afternoon Get Active TV NDP Show

Besides the morning and evening show on National Day, Get Active TV also has activities lined up for the afternoon show in 3 x 10 minute programmes at 3pm, 4pm, and 5pm. They include a dance workout and a chat show.

You can catch the show on the official NDPeeps page and Get Active TV.

2) Participate in the Anthem Moment, Pledge Moment, and Light Up Moment

These will be happening on Aug. 9. The Anthem Moment will take place at approximately 10:30am. The Public Warning System will sound a 20-second "All-Clear" siren to indicate the start of the singing of the National Anthem.

You can also join to recite the pledge during the Pledge Moment happening at 8:20pm. It will begin after the sounding of the Public Warning System "All-Clear" signal.

The Light Up Moment will also happen around this time. You can light up your phones with the red filter stickers found inside the Singapore Together packs to show appreciation for frontline workers.

It is something we have done before. Just don’t drop the phone this time.

3) #OurHeartForSG video campaign

This year’s National Day also features the “Our Heart for Singapore” campaign which aims to connect Singaporeans and share stories from this unprecedented time in our history.

You can catch videos of Singapore’s national athletes sharing their stories on Get Active TV in the lead up to National Day.

You could also have your shoutout featured live on the NDPeeps afternoon show. Just tag Sport Singapore in a video through instagram stories or post, sharing your thoughts on the following:

• What is one of the most memorable or cherished moments growing up in Singapore?
• Three words to represent Singapore to non-Singaporean friends
• Your dream for Singapore
• Your plans for National Day (optional)

4) Take part in challenges and win prizes

#GetActiveSG Workout Dance Challenge on TikTok

Between Aug. 4 and Aug. 9, there is a 15 seconds TikTok challenge under the hashtag #GetActiveSG to get Singaporeans dancing to this year's Get Active Singapore! Workout.

The 10 most creative entries will receive Decathlon vouchers worth S$155 each. You can watch the full dance here:

Get Active Photo / Video Challenge

You can also win up to S$4,000 worth of sport vouchers by taking part in the #GetActiveSG National Day workout photo challenge.

To participate:

• Take a photo/video of yourself working out while wearing National Day colours
• Post it on your Instagram account (make sure your account is set to "Public")
• Tag a friend who you would like to take on the challenge with hashtags #GetActiveSG #NDP2020 in your post

Other things to know about celebrating National Day

This year’s National Day song, “Everything I Am” is an “ode to the Singapore spirit of togetherness, and encourages Singaporeans to be appreciative and kind to each other.” The song is composed by Joshua Wan and performed by Nathan Hartono.

Happy National Day.

Top photo via ndp.gov.sg and FB/NDPeeps.

This sponsored article made the writer look forward to being an active participant on National Day.