A Flight To Remember: Jurong Bird Park to host series of activities before closure in 2023

For most of us, Jurong Bird Park (JBP) is a distant memory from our younger days when we’d visit for school excursions and family outings. 

However, for the staff there, it’s as good as a second home, and one they’ll dearly miss as the park prepares to cease operations on Jan 3, 2023 – exactly 52 years since it first opened in 1971.

Before JBP’s avian residents and staff rebrand and relocate to Bird Paradise at Mandai Wildlife Reserve, visitors are invited to relive their fondest memories through A Flight To Remember, a line-up of activities celebrating the park’s heritage from Sep 3, 2022 to Jan 3, 2023.

Activities planned include photo opportunities, a self-guided Heritage Trail, a special staff-curated trail, and the Nostalgic Signature Tour which will open in November.

Here’s a sneak peek of what you can expect:

Right at the park entrance is a re-creation of the former clock tower, complete with a countdown timer to the park’s final day of operations.

Visitors can snap a shot with the Cuckoo Clock tower and share it on social media with the hashtag #JurongBirdPark.

Besides the clock tower, there’s also the old Panorail Station which has reopened to the public, complete with a re-creation of the Panorail which operated from 1992 to 2012.

The Panorail has since been replaced by the electric trams. However, you can still try to spot remnants of the original tracks across the park.

Another way to share your heartfelt emu-tions is by uploading your pictures to JBP’s ‘living’ Memory Wall, a real-time digital platform which can be found by scanning the QR code at Penguin Coast.

Take part in the Nostalgic Signature Tour and look forward to exclusive feeding sessions and avian encounters in African Treetops and Waterfall Aviary. Bookings for the tour will open on Oct 19.

Besides the birds, visitors can also learn more about the staff – or fondly known as the Old Birds – at JBP.

They will share the heartfelt memories shared among the team as well as with their feathered friends.

These stories include touching moments like helping couples hold their wedding solemnization ceremony at the park and even funny incidents like when the bird keepers had to rally together and dress as “visitors” so the more extroverted birds could feel at ease when JBP was closed off to the public.

Vice-president Ms Daisy Ling shared that there are many staff members who have joined the park since its early days and “have been here over the decades”.

“JBP is like our second home, and it will be a bittersweet time for us,” Ms Ling, who has a 40-year-history at the park, added.

JBP is located at 2 Jurong Hill, Singapore 628925 and is open from Thursdays to Sundays from 8.30am to 6pm.

More information about Bird Paradise will be shared in due time.