The Float @ Marina Bay
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The Float at Marina Bay, stylised as The Float@Marina Bay and also known as the Marina Bay Floating Platform, was a multi-purpose outdoor venue at the
Downtown Core The Downtown Core is the historical and downtown centre of the city-state of Singapore and the main commercial area in Singapore excluding reclaimed lands with two integrated resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands, one of the most expensive buil ...
area of
Marina Bay, Singapore Marina Bay is a bay located in the Central Area, Singapore, Central Area of Singapore, surrounded by the perimeter of four other planning areas, the Downtown Core, Marina East, Marina South and Straits View. The area surrounding the bay itsel ...
. The venue consists of a steel platform in the
Marina Reservoir The Marina Reservoir is a reservoir in Singapore formed in 2008 by building a dam across the mouth of the Marina Channel. With the completion of the Marina Barrage on 30 October 2008, the reservoir, which contained mainly salt water, became freshw ...
, and a 27,000-seat
grandstand A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators, typically at sports stadiums and including both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium i ...
along the shore. The floating platform can bear up to 1,070
tonne The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1,000  kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton in the United States to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the s ...
s, equivalent to the total weight of 9,000 people, 200 tonnes of
stage prop Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly Brit ...
s and three 30-tonne
military vehicle A military vehicle is any vehicle for land-based military transport and activity, including combat vehicles, both specifically designed for or significantly used by military. Most military vehicles require Off-road vehicle, off-road capabilities ...
s. The Float was built in 2007 as an interim venue for events usually held at 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 ...
in
Kallang Kallang ( ) is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area and New towns of Singapore, residential zone located in the Central Region, Singapore, Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the l ...
while it was being rebuilt as part of the
Singapore Sports Hub The Singapore Sports Hub (; Malay: Hab Sukan Singapura; Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் விளையாட்டு மையம்) is a sports and recreation district in Kallang, Singapore. The Sports Hub is a 35-hectare public- ...
project—including sporting events (such as
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
), concerts, arts and cultural performances, and festivities such as the National Day Parade (NDP). It formed part of the
Marina Bay Street Circuit The Marina Bay Street Circuit (otherwise known as the Singapore Street Circuit) is a street circuit around Marina Bay, Singapore, encompassing the planning areas of Downtown Core (Turns 4 to 19) and Kallang (Turns 1 to 3). It is the venue f ...
that hosts
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
's
Singapore Grand Prix The Singapore Grand Prix is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula One World Championship. The event takes place on the Marina Bay Street Circuit and was the inaugural night race and first street circuit in Asia designed for Form ...
, and hosted the ceremonies of the inaugural
2010 Summer Youth Olympics The 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, ) officially known as the I Summer Youth Olympic Games, and commonly known as Singapore 2010, were the inaugural edition of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), an Olympic Games-based event for young athletes. Held ...
. Since 2010, The Float has hosted the graduation parade for full-time
National Servicemen In the United Kingdom, military conscription has existed for two periods in modern times. The first was from 1916 to 1920, and the second from 1939 to 1960. The last conscription term ended in 1963 although many soldiers chose to continue in th ...
who had completed their
basic military training Military recruit training, commonly known as basic training or boot camp, refers to the initial instruction of new military personnel. It is a physically and psychologically intensive process, which resocializes its subjects for the unique dema ...
. The Float has also hosted
New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...
and
Lunar New Year Lunar New Year is the beginning of a new year based on lunar calendars or, informally, lunisolar calendars. Lunar calendar years begin with a new moon and have a fixed number of lunar months, usually twelve, in contrast to lunisolar calendar ye ...
events. The Float was initially intended as a temporary venue, but the NDP was only held at the new National Stadium once in 2016 — a decision that received mixed reception for its different atmosphere, and increased costs of the event over those held at The Float. In 2017, it was announced that The Float would remain the primary venue for the NDP (outside of those held at
the Padang The Padang ( Malay for 'field') is an open playing field located within the Downtown Core of the Central Area in Singapore. It includes the Padang Cricket Ground. The Padang is surrounded by several important landmarks, which include Sai ...
every five years), and that The Float will be demolished, reconstructed and renamed to a permanent venue known as NS Square—which will expand upon The Float with a capacity for 30,000 including a multi-purpose space for community activities, as well as a museum devoted to the national service of the country. Designed by the local WOHA Architects, demolition of The Float began in 2023, with completion of NS Square expected in 2027.


History

As the former National Stadium at Kallang would be demolished to build the Singapore Sports Hub, a new venue for NDP was needed and it has to be in the central area of Singapore, it also decided to create a floating platform for the NDP and use Marina Bay as a venue. The floating platform would have the city
skyline A skyline is the wikt:outline, outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city's overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural area, rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the ...
as a backdrop for the parade. As the new National Stadium and Singapore Sports Hub were planned to be constructed over eight years with the floating platform hosting the NDP in the interim, it was determined by the government that the platform was a
cost effective Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is a form of economic analysis that compares the relative costs and outcomes (effects) of different courses of action. Cost-effectiveness analysis is distinct from cost–benefit analysis, which assigns a moneta ...
solution. In 2005, the organising committee worked with the
Urban Redevelopment Authority The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is the national urban planning authority of Singapore, and a Statutory boards of the Singapore Government, statutory board under the Ministry of National Development (Singapore), Ministry of National De ...
(URA) and the
Singapore Sports Council Sport Singapore (SportSG) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth of the Government of Singapore. It is the lead agency tasked with developing a holistic sports culture for the nation. History Sport Singapore was ...
on the design of the floating platform to be used for NDP and also other major events. In March 2006,
Sembcorp Marine Seatrium Limited provides innovative engineering solutions to the global offshore, marine and energy industries. Headquartered in Singapore, the Group has over 60 years of track record in the design and construction of rigs, floaters, offshore p ...
started construction of the floating platform after the design was approved. By April 2007, the platform and seating
gallery Gallery or The Gallery may refer to: * Gallery (surname), a surname Arts, entertainment, and media * Art gallery ** Contemporary art gallery ** Online art gallery Music * Gallery (band), an American soft rock band of the 1970s Albums * ' ...
were completed and officially opened by Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong Lee Hsien Loong (born 10 February 1952) is a Singaporean politician and former military officer who served as the third Prime Minister of Singapore, prime minister of Singapore from 2004 to 2024, thereafter serving as a Senior Minister of S ...
. However, it was the last stadium to be built under
Lee Kuan Yew Lee Kuan Yew (born Harry Lee Kuan Yew; 16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean politician who ruled as the first Prime Minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. He is widely recognised ...
's time.


Reconstruction as NS Square

The Float was originally intended to operate through 2012, after which it was to be dismantled. In 2017, it was announced that The Float would be expanded and redeveloped as a permanent venue known as NS Square. It will be a similar floating structure but with more facilities and a museum devoted to the
national service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...
. It is slated to have a seating capacity of about 30,000. In the second quarter of 2020, it is estimated a design proposal will be chosen for implementation. The proposal is expected to include a field that can be converted into a performance area, a waterfront sports facility, and a space for common exercise consisting of an unenclosed hall and studio spaces. It will be designed by the local WOHA Architects, with construction beginning in March 2022 and an expected completion in 2025. In 2022, Defence Minister
Ng Eng Hen Ng Eng Hen, Hinghwa Romanized: ''Ńg Ṳ̂ng-héng'' (born 10 December 1958) is a Singaporean former politician and oncologist who previously served as Minister for Defence from 2011 to 2025. A member of the governing People's Action Party ...
announced that the original plans to construct NS Square was delayed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. The 2022 National Day Parade was also held at the Float. The facility will now be completed in 2027, with construction having begun in March 2024.


Design

The main considerations for the platform's chief planner and developer,
Defence Science and Technology Agency Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) is a statutory board under the purview of the Ministry of Defence of the Government of Singapore. DSTA is responsible for performing acquisitions management, systems management, systems developme ...
, were the size of the platform, the load it could bear and also reconfigurability of the platform for various requirements of different events. The platform is made of small platforms of pontoons with each comprising hundreds of parts. Initial design requires 200 such pontoons but a system of connectors between the pontoons reduced it to 15. The pontoons would interlock each other similar to a
jigsaw puzzle A jigsaw puzzle (with context, sometimes just jigsaw or just puzzle) is a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of often irregularly shaped interlocking and mosaicked pieces. Typically each piece has a portion of a picture, which is comple ...
. The connectors were designed to be light but strong. The platform took one month to be assembled. The platform's foundation consisted of six pylons fixed to the seabead to hold it in place while rubber rollers were used to stabilise the platform as the platform is affected by the tides and currents in Marina Bay. The platform was connected to land by three linkways and there are special integrated joints for the linkways keep them from rocking. To fit in the city skyline as a backdrop of platform, the seating gallery's height was restricted. Due to existing buildings and the area's development plans, the number of seats for the gallery was capped at 27,000. The platform also has an internal
drainage Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of a surface's water and sub-surface water from an area with excess water. The internal drainage of most agricultural soils can prevent severe waterlogging (anaerobic conditions that harm root gro ...
system, cabling structures and
lightning rod A lightning rod or lightning conductor (British English) is a metal rod mounted on a structure and intended to protect the structure from a lightning strike. If lightning hits the structure, it is most likely to strike the rod and be conducted ...
s.


Events

Since its completion in 2007, the Marina Bay Floating Platform has hosted several major events, such the annual National Day Parade, New Year's Eve countdown event,
2010 Summer Youth Olympics The 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, ) officially known as the I Summer Youth Olympic Games, and commonly known as Singapore 2010, were the inaugural edition of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), an Olympic Games-based event for young athletes. Held ...
and the
FIA Formula One World Championship Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one of the wor ...
. The first major event that was held at the floating stadium is the National Day Parade in 2007. This was followed by the
Singapore Fireworks Celebrations The Singapore Fireworks Celebrations was an annual event held in Singapore as part of its National Day (Singapore), National Day celebrations. It featured several local and foreign teams which launched fireworks displays on different nights. His ...
held on 17 and 18 August 2007. On 25 August 2007, the stadium was used to launch the six-week-long Waterfest Singapore 2007, which showcases
stunt A stunt is an unusual, difficult, dramatic physical feat that may require a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually for a public audience, as on television or in theaters or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Befo ...
s and performances by a
water ski Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on one or two skis. The sport requires sufficien ...
team and
wakeboard Wakeboarding is a water sport in which the rider, standing on a wakeboard (a board with foot bindings), is towed behind a motorboat across its wake and especially up off the crest in order to perform aerial maneuvers. A hallmark of wakeboarding ...
professionals. On 2 September 2007, the platform was the start and finish point for the
Aviva Aviva plc is a British multinational insurance company headquartered in London, England. It has about 19 million customers across its core markets of the United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada. In the United Kingdom, Aviva is the largest general ...
Ironman 70.3 Singapore
triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the ...
. From 15 September 2007 to 16 April 2008, The Float was closed for
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
works in preparation for the
Singapore Grand Prix The Singapore Grand Prix is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula One World Championship. The event takes place on the Marina Bay Street Circuit and was the inaugural night race and first street circuit in Asia designed for Form ...
in September 2008. In November 2008, The
Singapore Cup The Singapore Cup is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Singaporean football. Established in 1998, it is the foremost prestigious cup competition in the country. It is open to clubs in the Singapore Premier League. Since ...
final between
SAFFC Warriors Football Club was a Singaporean professional football club based in Choa Chu Kang, Singapore, that played in the Singapore Premier League, the top division of football in Singapore. Before changing their name on 20 January 2013, they ...
and
Woodlands Wellington FC Woodlands Wellington Football Club was a professional association football, football club based in Woodlands, Singapore, Woodlands, Singapore which played in the S.League, the top division of football in Singapore. The club took part in S.League ...
was supposed to take place at the stadium. However, problems relating to the metal beams casting a shadow on the pitch forced the match to be played at the
Jalan Besar Stadium Jalan Besar Stadium, officially the Jalan Besar ActiveSG Stadium, is a football stadium located in Kallang, Singapore. The stadium is part of the Jalan Besar Sports and Recreation Centre, a community sports facility that includes the stadium as ...
instead. The first football match to be played on the platform was an ESPZEN Sunday League Division 1 match between Tuan Gemuk Athletic and VNNTU FC. In December 2007, URA considered letting the public access the gallery view the New Year's fireworks at Marina Bay. From 2009 to 2015, the floating platform is used for countdown parties. In August 2010, The Float hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the inaugural
2010 Summer Youth Olympics The 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, ) officially known as the I Summer Youth Olympic Games, and commonly known as Singapore 2010, were the inaugural edition of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), an Olympic Games-based event for young athletes. Held ...
. On 2 October 2010, the stadium became the first public venue for the graduation parade of the recruits from the
Singapore Armed Forces The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) are the military of the Republic of Singapore, responsible for protecting and defending the security interests and the sovereignty of the country. A component of the Ministry of Defence (Singapore), Ministry of D ...
Basic Military Training Centre The Basic Military Training Centre (BMTC) is a military training facility of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). It comprises five schools organised into three camps, of which two are based on Pulau Tekong, an island off the northeast coast of ma ...
. Previously, the graduation parade was held on
Pulau Tekong Pulau Tekong (Singapore English pronunciation: ), also known colloquially as Tekong or Tekong Island, is the second-largest of Singapore's outlying islands after Jurong Island. Tekong is located off Singapore's northeastern coast, east of P ...
itself. Since then, the stadium has been a venue for the graduation parade, alternating with 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 ...
. On 23 November 2012,
SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies and has been responsible for fostering and popularizing the car ...
artists including
Kangta An Chil-hyun (; born October 10, 1979), known professionally as Kangta (stylized sometimes in all caps and formerly as KangTa; ), is a South Korean singer, composer, songwriter, record producer, actor and radio personality. He is well known as a ...
,
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,
TVXQ TVXQ (stylized as TVXQ!; , ), known as Tohoshinki in Japan, is a South Korean pop duo formed by SM Entertainment, composed of U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin. Originally a five-member boy band which also consisted of members Kim Jae-joong, Hero ...
,
Super Junior Super Junior (; stylized in all caps), also known as SJ or SuJu, is a South Korean boy band. The group is composed of Leeteuk, Heechul, Yesung, Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Siwon, Donghae, Ryeowook, and Kyuhyun. Han Geng, Kibum, and ...
,
Girls' Generation Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piec ...
,
Shinee Shinee ( ; ; ; stylized as SHINee) is a South Korean boy band formed by SM Entertainment in 2008. The group consists of four members: Onew, Key (entertainer), Key, Choi Min-ho, Minho, and Taemin. Originally a five-piece band, Jonghyun died on ...
,
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, and
EXO Exo (; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean-Chinese boy band based in Seoul formed by SM Entertainment in 2011 and debuted in 2012. The group consists of nine members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay Zhang, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen (singer), Chen, Chanyeol, ...
performed to a crowd of 18,000 fans as part of their
SM Town Live World Tour III SM Town Live World Tour III was the 2012–13 worldwide live concert tour by SM Town. The tour commenced with one show in Anaheim, California on May 20, 2012 and continued in Hsinchu, Tokyo, Seoul, Jakarta, Singapore and Bangkok. Background ...
concert. The Singapore National Day Parade (NDP) has been held at The Float since 2007, except in years it is held at
the Padang The Padang ( Malay for 'field') is an open playing field located within the Downtown Core of the Central Area in Singapore. It includes the Padang Cricket Ground. The Padang is surrounded by several important landmarks, which include Sai ...
(every five years beginning in 2010, and in 2019 for the bicentennial of the founding of modern Singapore), in 2016, when it was held at the new National Stadium, and in 2020, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. The parade was last held on The Float in 2022, with its demolition beginning in March 2023.


Gallery

File: Ndp-2007.JPG, The Float at Marina Bay hosting Singapore's 42nd National Day Parade on 9 August 2007. File: Marina Bay Floating Platform, May 07.jpg, The Float at Marina Bay in 2007, with the Singapore Flyer under construction in the background. File: Singapore Marina-Bay-at-night-01.jpg, The Float at Marina Bay hosting the 2015 River Hongbao for Chinese New Year, with
Marina Bay Sands Marina Bay Sands is a integrated resort fronting Marina Bay, Singapore, Marina Bay in Singapore and a landmark of the city. At its opening in 2010, it was deemed the world's most expensive standalone casino property at Singapore dollar, S$8&nbs ...
in the background. File: BMT passing out parade 100115.jpg, Singapore Armed Forces Basic Military Training passing out parade ceremony File: Singapore (SG), The Float @ Marina Bay -- 2019 -- 4460.jpg, The floating platform of the stadium, with Singapore's skyline in the background. File:Singapore (SG), Bay Grandstand -- 2019 -- 4495.jpg, Grandstand of The Float at Marina Bay in 2019. File: Singapore (SG), The Float @ Marina Bay and Bay Grandstand -- 2019 -- 4546.jpg, The Float at Marina Bay in 2019


See also

*
List of stadiums in Singapore A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
*
Architecture of Singapore The architecture of Singapore displays a range of influences and styles from different places and periods. These range from the eclectic styles and hybrid forms of the colonial period to the tendency of more contemporary architecture to incor ...


References


External links


Marina Bay official website

Stadium Guide profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Float At Marina Bay 2007 establishments in Singapore 2022 disestablishments in Singapore Downtown Core (Singapore) Marina Bay, Singapore Sports venues in Singapore Sports venues completed in 2007 Venues of the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics