The National Day of Singapore ( ms, Hari Kebangsaan Singapura; zh, 新加坡国庆日; ta, சிங்கப்பூரின் தேசிய நாள்) is celebrated every year on 9 August, in commemoration of
Singapore's independence from
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
in 1965. This holiday features the
National Day Parade (NDP), an
address
An address is a collection of information, presented in a mostly fixed format, used to give the location of a building, apartment, or other structure or a plot of land, generally using political boundaries and street names as references, along w ...
by the
prime minister of Singapore
The prime minister of Singapore is the head of government of the Republic of Singapore. The president appoints the prime minister, a Member of Parliament (MP) who in their opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of the majority of ...
,
fireworks celebrations, and even advertisements urging Singaporean residents to procreate.
National Day Parade
The Singapore National Day Parade is a national ceremony that is usually held at
The Float @ Marina Bay
The Float at Marina Bay, stylised as The Float@Marina Bay and also known as the Marina Bay Floating Platform, is a multi-purpose outdoor venue at the Downtown Core area of Marina Bay, Singapore. The venue consists of a steel platform in the Mar ...
, the
National Stadium
Many countries have a national sport stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadiu ...
at the
Singapore Sports Hub
The Singapore Sports Hub (Chinese: 新加坡体育城; Malay: Hab Sukan Singapura; Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் விளையாட்டு மையம்) is a sports and recreation district in Kallang, Singapore. The Sports H ...
, or the
Padang
Padang () is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of West Sumatra. With a Census population of 1,015,000 as of 2022, it is the 16th most populous city in Indonesia and the most populous city on the west coast of Sumatra. Th ...
. In 2007, the Parade was held at The Float @ Marina Bay for the first time, and in 2016, it was held at the Singapore Sports Hub. The parade includes performances that depict the yearly theme.
National Day Message
The National Day Message is an annual tradition since 1966. In each year's recorded message, the
Prime Minister of Singapore
The prime minister of Singapore is the head of government of the Republic of Singapore. The president appoints the prime minister, a Member of Parliament (MP) who in their opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of the majority of ...
"examine
domestic and global developments, review
economic performance and outlook, and outline
national priorities and government plans as
e inspiresSingaporeans to move forward with a unified sense of purpose".
National Day Rally
On the 2nd/3rd Sunday after the National Day, the
Prime Minister of Singapore
The prime minister of Singapore is the head of government of the Republic of Singapore. The president appoints the prime minister, a Member of Parliament (MP) who in their opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of the majority of ...
makes an annual address to the nation, called the National Day Rally. A yearly event since 1966, the Prime Minister uses this rally to address the nation on its key challenges and its future directions, and can be compared to the
State of the Union Address
The State of the Union Address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of each calendar year on the current conditio ...
delivered by the
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
. Prior to 2005, the rally was a continuous speech from 8 pm (
SST). From 2005, the Malay and Chinese versions were delivered at 6.45 pm with a break at 7.30 pm while the English version was delivered at 8 pm. Opposition MPs have been invited to the rally since 2007.
Singapore Fireworks Celebrations
National Day celebrations also include
firework
Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices in ...
s celebrations. They feature several local and foreign teams which launch
firework
Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices in ...
s displays on different nights. First held in 2004 at
Marina Bay, the event was initially known as the Singapore Fireworks Festival and organised by
Unusual Productions
Unusual or The Unusual or The Unusuals may refer to:
Film and TV
*''The Unusuals'', a 2009 TV series. Music
*''The Unusual'', an El Da Sensei album
*Unusual (album) Giuni Russo 2006 Songs
*Unusual (song) Trey Songz
*"Unusual", song by Francesc ...
. The amount of fireworks used has grown in magnitude over the past three years, from 4,000 rounds used in 2004 to over 9,000 in 2006. In 2012, a
Mentos commercial encouraged
procreation
Reproduction (or procreation or breeding) is the biological process by which new individual organisms – "offspring" – are produced from their "parent" or parents. Reproduction is a fundamental feature of all known life; each individual org ...
during the same time as the fireworks celebration.
See also
*
List of Singaporean patriotic songs
References
{{Public holidays in Singapore
Annual events in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
August observances
Public holidays in Singapore
Independence days