SINGAPORE — Christmas in Orchard Road will be bigger, brighter and more magical in 2023, with the first Christmas Eve street party and three Great Christmas Villages to woo visitors.
Christmas on A Great Street, the signature year-end light-up of Orchard Road heralding the holiday season, will have more fun-filled activities to mark the 40th anniversary of the annual light up along the famous shopping belt, and the 25th anniversary of the Orchard Road Business Association (Orba).
President Tharman Shanmugaratnam will officiate the Light-Up Ceremony at Shaw House Urban Plaza on Nov 16.
Orba chairman Mark Shaw said Christmas on A Great Street attracted over four million visitors in 2022. He hopes the festivities in 2023 will draw around five to six million visitors, comparable to pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels.
The Christmas Eve street party will stretch from Paterson junction to Bideford junction, and it will be closed to traffic from 6pm onwards. The party will take place from 8pm to 12.30am, and will feature performances, Christmas carols, Santa Meet & Greet sessions, a market, food trucks, and a countdown to Christmas.
Mr Shaw said Orba is working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure proper crowd control and security measures for the party, which will be a one-off event in 2023.
Visitors can also look forward to three Great Christmas Villages — up from one in 2022 — with carnival rides and games, pop-up stores, and food and beverage kiosks located outside Shaw House, Ngee Ann City and Plaza Singapura.
The village at Shaw House Urban Plaza will open from Nov 24 and will feature a double-storey carousel and ferris wheel, among a variety of rides and games. The remaining two — at Plaza Singapura and Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza — will open from Dec 1 and Dec 8, respectively.
The light-up theme aims to capture a child's imagination, with a cotton candy cloud dreamscape filled with Christmas trees and bells as well as teddy bears, reindeer and candy canes. Warm LED lights of white, yellow, pink and turquoise "clouds" will be floating in the air, enhancing the dreamy look and feel.
Organised by Orba and the Community Chest, the Light-Up Ceremony aims to raise funds to support more than 100 social service agencies running over 200 critical programmes. Hitachi Asia has been the main sponsor of the annual light-up for 33 consecutive years.
There will also be other attractions, such as an augmented reality (AR) projection in partnership with OUE Limited on the facade of Hilton Singapore Orchard.
All 25 glass panels lining the pedestrian walkway from Ion Orchard to Mandarin Gallery will also feature AR displays.
The outdoor visual projections will be switched on from Nov 1 to Jan 1, 2024.
There will be music from speakers mounted on 44 lamp posts along Orchard Road. On Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, a countdown clock will help revellers mark the start of Christmas and the New Year.
Orba will be doubling down on efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, such as repurposing energy-efficient LED lights and fixtures, as well as installing solar panels to power the two-set pieces located in front of Mandarin Gallery and Plaza Singapura.
The association will also work with the National Parks Board's Garden City Fund Plant-A-Tree Programme to plant 100 new trees along Orchard Road, and the rest of Singapore.
Orchard Road is undergoing a rejuvenation to make the famed shopping stretch a must-visit lifestyle destination.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Singapore Tourism Board said that in the mid to long term, there will be more public-private collaboration to spruce up and inject vibrancy in the area.
These include infrastructure improvements such as creative way-finding features, including "identity markers" to demarcate different zones along Orchard Road, and multi-dimensional experiences such as the new snow-surf-skate attraction Trifecta, which is opening on Saturday.
Apart from the upcoming Christmas on a Great Street, there have also been signature events such as the Grand Prix Season Singapore precinct party which was held from Sept 8 to 17.
There has also been a spate of new hotels and retailers, while existing properties are undergoing a revamp and redevelopment.
Cathay has refreshed its tenancy mix for Cineleisure Orchard. In December, it will launch Golden Village X The Projector, the first collaboration between the two movie operators that will screen blockbusters and mainstream hits as well as a selection of international film festivals, live events and alternative films.
In addition, Somerset Belt is being developed into a vibrant youth precinct which will support youth development and youth aspirations. In particular, *Scape is undergoing a makeover, and will introduce new spaces and concept. It is targeted to be completed in 2024.
Creative street furniture will also be installed along the Orchard Road pedestrian walkway to enhance the streetscape and provide visitors with more public seating.
Efforts are also under way to transform Orchard Road into a lush green corridor.
A 500m stretch between Buyong and Handy roads will be pedestrianised, while the current 1.3ha Istana Park will be expanded to incorporate Dhoby Ghaut Green and the Penang Road Open Space.
These are estimated to be completed progressively from 2025.
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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.