Some 2,500 people participated in the second-anniversary event of "Pa Pa Zao" at Sentosa on Sunday (Jul. 14).

PPZ 2024

"Lao Peng You Pa Pa Zao", or "PPZ" for short, is a mass walk event led by local filmmaker Jack Neo. The first-anniversary event took place in 2023 at Sentosa.

For the 2024 edition, artistes such as Terence Cao, Henry Thia, Xixi Lim and Glenn Yong, participated in the event.

Local personalities Simonboy, Mayiduo, and Tommy Wong, also made an appearance.

The event was held from 8am to 2pm, with registration starting at 7am.

Apart from the walk, the event also included an entertainment programme involving artistes.

What is "Pa Pa Zao" about?

The inspiration behind "Pa Pa Zao" started during the pandemic. Some of Neo's livestream viewers proposed meeting up with him and he suggested that they join him on a walk during the weekend.

The very first edition took place in 2020 at Bukit Timah Hill after the lockdown. At that time, around 58 people turned up.

The weekly affair — which is free of charge — has since drawn a steady stream of participants in the "hundreds".

In an interview with Mothership, Neo noted that "Pa Pa Zao" is very "unique". Due to the participation of local artistes, the initiative combines both exercise and entertainment.

This activity is not just for "uncles and aunties", though. He said he sees it as a "family bonding" exercise as he encourages participants to invite their other family members to join the weekly walks.

Apart from exercise, this initiative also encourages lifelong learning by connecting participants to various SkillsFuture courses.

What's next for "Pa Pa Zao"?

Neo shared that he has plans for the initiative to eventually be split into two or more walking groups setting off from different locations.

It might eventually comprise four groups, one for each region in Singapore (north, south, east and west) so that more participants can attend.

"I hope that more artistes... [will] come volunteer to join me," he said.

Top photo composite image from Jack Neo/Instagram & photo by Mothership.