5 things to look out for at NDP 2022

The Float@Marina Bay was conquered by a sea of red and white on Saturday (Jul 30), as Singaporeans streamed in to catch a full-length preview of the National Day Parade (NDP) 2022. 

The actual day parade expects to see an audience of 25,000. Attendees are expected to be fully vaccinated and encouraged to mask up.

The show, will commence at 5.30pm and last slightly over two hours. 

From the Marina Wave to aerial displays, here are five NDP 2022 highlights that audiences can look forward to. 

After two years of downsized celebrations due to the pandemic, the audience was raring to go. 

To get the crowd excited for performances ahead, hosts Sonia Chew, Joakim Gomez, Siti Khalijah and Rishi Budhrani coordinated a Marina Wave across the Floating Platform. 

Although it took a few tries to slip into the wave’s rhythm, the crowd eventually nailed it.

Shortly after, strains of past NDP theme songs such as Home and folk songs like Chan Mali Chan were heard as rising vocal group The Island Voices performed a medley of local hits. 

Following that came the free fall jump by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Parachute Team, also known as the Red Lions. 

The crowd’s excitement was palpable, as heads twisted skywards to spot the familiar red streaks in the sky. 

In the Total Defence Display’s (TTD) second segment, Securing Singapore Together, SAF brings out its big guns, like the Special Operations Task Force. 

In addition, this year also marks the Singapore Police Force’s (SPF) Next-Generation Fast Response Cars debut in the TTD. 

The segment showcases Singapore’s speedy response to contingency scenarios like counterterrorism operations.

In a first for the NDP, one scenario saw the SAF’s special operations task force re-enact a hostage rescue from a ‘hijacked’ public bus. 

It commenced with the bus haphazardly driven onto the stage, as hostages screamed from within. Attendees of the show watched with bated breath as the terrorists descended to the back of the bus in an attempt to harm the hostages.

However, within minutes, gleeful shouts cut through the tension as the special operations task force pulled onto the scene in their Peacekeeper Protected Response Vehicles. 

Just in time to save the day. 

Comprising over 2,000 participants from 37 virtual and physical contingents, this year’s Parade and Ceremony (P&C) includes the return of physical Youth, Social and Economic Contingents.

Another noteworthy segment was the Military Tattoo. It is a performance by the SAF Precision Drill Squad, SAF and SPF Combined Band, Combined School Bands and for the first time at NDP, a virtual choir.

The crowd was treated to a rousing display of precisely executed rifle drills, accompanied by the Combined Band. In perfect synchronisation, the swish of each rifle would be followed by a resounding drum beat. 

In celebration of 55 years of National Service (NS55), the P&C also honoured all national servicemen in a special tribute segment of the parade. 

A segment of NDP that has earned its title of “crowd favourite” yearly is the State Flag Flypast. 

The state flag was flown by the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Chinook helicopter, escorted by two RSAF Apache Helicopters. 

NDP 2022 also features the Salute-To-The Nation bomb burst, flown by F-16C/D aircrafts. 

The five aircraft soared above in a V-shaped formation, drawing closer to the Floating Platform. 

Upon reaching the point directly above the platform, the five aircrafts then burst out of formation by taking off in five different directions.

The show segment of NDP, titled The Story Of Us, spotlights the resilience of Singaporeans despite adversity. 

The five chaptered show reflects the journeys of Singaporeans over the pandemic years through song and dance items performed by various local talents.

Highlights include the fourth and fifth chapter, which features local artistes like Singapore Idol Taufik Batisah and rapper Shigga Shay.

The fourth chapter, FIGHT!, honours those who have weathered immense hardship or mental health struggles throughout the pandemic. 

In this segment, Shigga Shay raps an empowering tune about rising past difficulties and overcoming them, with performers from Buddhist organisation Soka Gakkai.

Adding to the energy were the bright animated bezels flashing on screen that burst in time to the rap’s beat, similar to the sensory game Tap Tap Revenge.

Audience members also got to be one with the performance as they thrummed along to the beat  with their heart drums, a clapper device that came in the NDP funpacks.

In the fifth chapter, This is Our Future, This is Our Life, Taufik Batisah expresses his optimism for the future of Singapore.

Performing this year’s theme song Stronger Together, Taufik serenaded the crowd with his vocals, accompanied by punchy dance moves from student performers. 

Bringing NDP 2022 to a resounding finale were the fireworks on display after Taufik’s set.

The National Day Parade 2022 will be held at the Float@Marina Bay on Aug 9. 

The parade will be streamed on meWatch and telecasted on all Mediacorp channels from 5.35pm. Singaporeans can also catch the firework displays at the heartlands, on Aug 9 itself.