It’s time. The stage is set. The curtains are waiting to be unveiled. The air is crackling with electricity. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s truly time. A dazzling spectacle is waiting to show itself – where the roads of roaring engines at the F1 Pit Building are transformed into a canvas of vibrant hues of tradition and innovation. Oh, my dearest one, this is the Chingay Parade 2024. And today, we unleash upon you everything that you need to know about this spectacle. This is not just a guide; it’s your backstage pass to the extraordinary.
Oh yes, a backstage pass to the beloved ‘People’s Parade’! It’s coming to you on 23 and 24 February 2024 for a celebration of culture, art and talent like no other. But there’s so much to learn to fully enjoy the event to the fullest extent, and, lucky for you, we’ve got you covered with all the details you need to know. Get your photographic memory revved up or get ready to take notes, because each detail is crucial. Ready? Let’s go!
Chingay 2024 on 23 and 24 February
Returning once again to its home, the F1 Pit Building, the parade will take place from 8pm to 9.30pm on both Friday and Saturday, 23 and 24 February. You can either be there and watch it live (psst, tickets are still available!), or join in the celebrations from your own homes live on Chingay’s official website or their Facebook page.
There will also be a delayed telecast on Sunday, 10 March and 17 March 2024. On 10 March, catch the parade on Channel 5 from 7.30pm to 9pm and Channel 8 from 8.30pm to 10pm. On 17 March, watch the telecast on Channel 5 and Channel 8 from 4.30pm to 6pm. See, there’s no way you could miss this extravaganza!
Theme: Blossom
This year’s theme is ‘Blossom’, which means that Chingay 2024 epitomises the growth, transformation and flourishing of individuals and communities. This theatrical odyssey will be graced by 32,000 seated audiences and showcased by 3,500 on-site performers and 17 community-made floats.
If the theme is ‘Blossom’, then of course, you can expect to see the flower motif pop off! Across six acts, you will see different flowers showcasing different aspects of Singapore’s rich tapestry of culture and traditions. It’s said that flowers can be a language of their own, and Chingay 2024 will tap into this mesmerising language to take your breath away. You will embark on an enchanting journey narrated by The Gardener (portrayed by George Chan) and the Flower Fairy (portrayed by Tan Rui Shan)!
Let’s talk more about the six acts we mentioned. These six acts and the Overture will give you seven mind-blowing segments that give you Chingay 2024. The Overture is sort of like the opening act before getting into the six main acts. You will see stilt walkers, large flags, and magnificent dragon and lion dance performances that properly welcome you and kickstart the parade. As part of the Overture, you will also see five children, aged between 8 and 12, perform a Chinese opera in five different dialects.
Follow along on the six acts for a taste of what to expect!
Act 1 – Zest
Picture the Vanda Miss Joaquim. The flower, not the human! It’s a vibrant flower representing hardiness and resilience as it blooms all year round. The first act is an ode to our national flower, featuring 320 youths dancing to a rock version of the Chingay 2024 theme song (we’ll get to that!).
Act 2 – Shine
Be prepared for an eye-opening array of performances performed by close to 400 children, from inline skating and cheerleading to wushu and various dances set to the grand melodies of classical music, portraying the budding seedlings of our nation.
Act 3 – Glow
This act will tug at your heartstrings a little. We all know that Singapore has a large population of senior citizens; Singapore is currently one of Asia’s most rapidly ageing societies. This act is a heartfelt tribute to our seniors who gracefully embrace ageing. Headlining this act will be Joanna Dong, accompanied by 500 performers from En Community Services Society, Soka Gakkai Singapore and the Northwest Community Development Council Dance Fit Club.
Act 4 – Brilliance
In Act 4, the stage of Chingay 2024 becomes a melting pot of different cultures, with an international group from Uzbekistan performing alongside groups from China, Indonesia, South Korea and Thailand. You will also see the local foreign community with a high-energetic cultural performance from the Japanese Association of Singapore.
Act 5 – Radiance
Get ready to dance it out, or whip out your phones (whichever comes naturally to you first!) with more than 660 performers grooving to the beats of electronic dance music (EDM) alongside 17 stunning floats! These floats are intricately crafted by community artists and residents from all
walks of life, each holding a myriad of stories of those living in our very midst. You will also catch a local foreign group, Soul Brazil, performing in Chingay for the first time.
Act 6 – Blossom
In this finale act, 600 young performers unite in a spectacular contemporary showcase of our unique Singaporean identity blossoming. All this with the bright showcase of the 230-metre floor projection featuring a rich tapestry of blooming flowers! We promise we’ll get to the floor projection in a bit, but how fun!
Theme Song
The theme song for Chingay 2024, titled ‘Blossom’, is a goosebump-raising song that will get you in your feels, getting you all emotional about Singapore’s journey thus far. If you think about it, flowers are a pretty big part of the Singapore story. With massive tourist attractions like Gardens by the Bay, the ArtScience Museum (shaped like a lotus flower), and the Singapore Botanic Gardens (inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site), this theme just makes sense. And this song carries all that emotion of our growth and evolution.
Performed by TENGY (Chia Han Teng) and written by Jason Gelchen and TENGY, the song was released on Chingay Parade’s Spotify platform on 26 January 2024. Each act in the parade will feature renditions of the theme song in different genres, including rock, classical, and EDM, performed by local singers and musicians, including TENGY, Daniel Sid, Joanna Dong, and Chingay Youth Core Band! It’s going to be life-changing, I promise.
Interactive Floor Projection
Oh, history is being made. Brace yourself for what you will witness on this electrifying weekend! For the first time ever, Chingay sees the longest interactive floor projectors. At a jaw-dropping 230-metre length, the F1 track will be transformed into a projection of immersive visuals that will redefine the Chingay experience as we know it.
The floor projection will be a part of the entire parade across the seven segments – from the opening scene of a dragon flying throughout the F1 track to usher in the New Year to anamorphic illusions featuring buildings, flowers and spaceships enhancing the visual spectacle of the projection. Remember that Chingay 2024 will speak the language of flowers, so you will spot wide varieties of flowers, including the four ethnic flowers: bunga cempaka, bhramal kamal, blue peony and poinsettia.
The best part of this projection? You get to be a part of it. You, the audience member at the F1 Pit Building, will play an important role in triggering parts of the projection! We don’t call Chingay the People’s Parade for no reason!
Community Engagement Programme
Part of the annual Chingay Parade is the tangible that you look at, touch, and feel truly connected to the community and society you’re a part of. You realise the stories that co-exist around you and with you. This is part of Chingay’s Community Engagement Programme, where we see the community come together and breathe life into some magnificent sights that we will witness at the F1 Pit Building as part of the Chingay experience.
First up is the Chingay Community Floats, created in collaboration with PAssionArts. This is the most anticipated part of the Chingay Parade! Close to 3,400 residents from respective neighbourhoods, grassroots organisations and community partners have brought to life 17 Community Floats representing the community’s unique interpretation of the Blossom theme. And you get to see them with your very eyes!
At the entrance of the F1 Pit Building, you will see Blossom Art-Venture. This initiative was part of the Chingay National Education (NE) programme, where students from seven schools brought flower-themed art installations using recycled materials to life. It’s stunning and showcases the creativity of the forthcoming generation in an unmissable exhibition!
Next, you’ll also notice some buzz in the open space in front of the F1 Pit Building. It will be transformed into PAssionArts Street, where art activities and 11 community art installations co-created by residents and community artists will be showcased! These pieces were created during the PAssionArts Festival 2023 and the Singapore Art Week 2024 and are yours to admire and capture!
You can visit the Blossom ART-Venture installations and PAssionArts Street on the following dates:
- 23 February 2024, Friday, 5pm to 9pm
- 24 February 2024, Saturday, 5pm to 9pm
- 25 February 2024, Sunday, 4pm to 8pm
Chingay@Heartlands
The Chingay Parade is ginormous. It’s a nationwide event. But remember, Chingay celebrates the community and the society, so how could it not bring the parade to the neighbourhoods? How could it keep itself away from the very essence it celebrates? Ladies and gentlemen, this is Chingay@Heartlands!
From Pasir Ris to Jalan Besar to the West Coast, Chingay@Heartlands will be hitting various GRCs and SMCs, so check out whether yours is one of them!
Chingay 2024 spotlights the idea of blooming, no matter the season and adversity. After all, we’ve seen how Chingay itself has blossomed through the years since COVID-19 hit us. We hold in us the resilience of the Vanda Miss Joaquim flower and the power of nature that makes us grow.
And this guide, or this backstage pass into the extravaganza that is Chingay 2024, we’ve got you covered with all the bases. You know what to expect, what to look forward to, how to catch the event, and so much more! The stage is set, and it’s ready to change your definition of Chingay as you know it!
Chingay 2024
🗓️Date: Friday and Saturday, 23 and 24 February 2024
⏰Time: 8pm to 9.30pm
📍Location: 1 Republic Blvd, F1 Pit Building, Singapore 038975
💲Price:
- Cat 1: S$50 for Day 1, S$60 for Day 2
- Cat 2: S$40 for Day, S$50 for Day 2
- Cat 3: S$28.50
- Cat 4: S$20
The People’s Parade is coming and yours to behold, so get your tickets now on SISTIC! For more information on the upcoming parade, check out Chingay Parade’s official website, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok pages! Don’t miss this incredible celebration of culture, art and everything in between!
Photos by Russell Loh of the DANAMIC Team.
