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Singapore to hold largest National Day Parade: defence minister

Xinhua, March 5, 2015 Adjust font size:

Singapore is preparing for the largest National Day Parade (NDP) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its independence, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen told Parliament on Thursday.

This year's National Day Parade will take place at Padang, where the first NDP was held in 1966, to honor Singapore's historical roots, as well as making history with the largest fireworks and aerial display staged at the parade.

Everyone of Singapore's 1.2 million households is welcomed to join National Day Parade. Even those watching at home will be able to participate in the festivities, as an NDP "funpack" is set to be given.

Sites around the Marina Bay area will be opened up on Aug. 9 to allow more to congregate and watch the "historic" Jubilee Year parade. The defence minister estimated that more than 150,000 people can be accommodated in this area.

The parade at the Padang alone will cost about 20 million Singapore dollars (14.6 million U.S. dollars), almost the same as previous year. However, additional sites and new facilities would increase the total cost to about twice that of previous NDPs. According to Ng, part of this year's NDP cost will be supported by corporate sponsorships.

Another concern of big events like NDP is safety. The defence minister also called on the public to "pay attention" to the safety issue, as well as civility and cleanliness. Endi