(EXPIRED) Free admission to Istana during their Open House on 1 May 2017

EXPIRED

Starts	1 May 2017 (Mon) (ONE day only)
Location	Istana

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The Istana grounds will be open to the public on Monday, 1 May 2017, from 8.30am to 6.00pm, in celebration of Labour Day.

Programme highlights

The public can look forward to music performances by NTUC nEbO, U Live, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Xingnan Primary School and Jurongville Secondary School.

In addition, there will be dance performances by the SMU Student Club as well as PA Talents. Other features include a display of snakes by the Singapore Zoo. The programme line-up can be found in Annex A.

One of the highlights of this Istana Open House will be the “Learning City” Activity Booths, where participants of all ages will be able to engage in fun hands-on learning activities such as making water rockets and Virtual Reality goggles.

The “Learning City: Where Craft Meets Technology” initiative is a collaboration between the Lifelong Learning Council, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), Science Centre Singapore and the President’s Office. Through hands-on learning activities, participants will be guided to tinker and make, try out new skills and ignite their interest to learn a craft or skill, with technology as an enabler. More information can be found in Annex B.

Members of the public can sign up for the Nature Guided Walk at the Istana, a collaboration between the President’s Office and the National Parks Board (NParks) which will showcase the Istana’s flora, fauna and biodiversity.

They can also take a guided tour of the Istana main building led by volunteers from the Preservation of Sites and Monuments division of the National Heritage Board and view selected function rooms and display of gifts presented to the President and the Prime Minister by foreign dignitaries.

Visitors can also do a self-guided tour with the help of the “Istana Garden Walk” mobile application, which includes features such as a self-guided Plants Trail to discover 10 types of beautiful plant species in the Istana Gardens and maps of Places of Interest and Plants Trails.

The Istana Heritage Gallery at Istana Park (opposite the main gate of the Istana along Orchard Road) will also be open from 10am to 6pm.

Istana souvenirs will be on sale during the Open House. Proceeds from the sale of souvenirs and all entrance fees collected will be donated to charity.

Admission Details

Entry to the Istana grounds is FREE for Singaporeans and Singapore permanent residents. All others visitors are required to pay an entrance fee of $2 per person. Entry to the Istana grounds is via the main gate at Orchard Road. The nearest MRT station is Dhoby Ghaut.

Additional fees as specified in Annexes C and D are applicable for the guided tours.

ANNEX A

MAIN HIGHLIGHTS FOR LABOUR DAY ISTANA OPEN HOUSE ON MONDAY, 1 MAY 2017

Time	Activity	Venue
8.30 a.m. – 5.30 p.m.	Balloon Sculpting by SingTel Recreation Club	Main Tent
8.30 a.m. – 5.30 p.m.	Snacks and Biscuits Booth by NCSS	Near Main Tent
8.30 a.m. – 5.30 p.m.	Istana Merchandise and drinks Booths by NCSS	Centre Gate
8.30 a.m. – 5.30 p.m.	Istana Garden Walk Mobile Phone Application Booth by Republic Polytechnic	Centre Gate
8.30 a.m. – 5.30 p.m.	“Learning City” Activity Booths	Near Centre Gate
8.30 a.m. – 5.30 p.m.	Istana Main Building Self-guided Tour	Ticketing Booth near Ceremonial Plaza
8.30 a.m. – 6.00 p.m.	Display of Snakes by Singapore Zoo	Centre Gate
9.00 a.m. – 3.00 p.m.	Istana Main Building Guided Tour by National Heritage Board	Ticketing Booth near Ceremonial Plaza
10.00 a.m. – 12 noon	Performance by NTUC nEbO and U Live	Lawn
10.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m.	Nature Guided Walk organised by NParks	Ticketing Booth near Ceremonial Plaza
10.30 a.m. – 11.30 a.m.	Dance Performance by SMU Student Club	Ceremonial Plaza
10.45 a.m. – 11.30 a.m.	Performance by Singapore Symphony Orchestra	Main Tent
2.00 p.m. – 3.00 p.m.	Band Performance by Xingnan Primary School	Main Tent
3.00 p.m. – 4.00 p.m.	Dance Performance by PA Talents	Ceremonial Plaza
3.00 p.m. – 5.00 p.m.	Band Performance by Jurongville Secondary School	Main Tent

ANNEX B

ABOUT “LEARNING CITY: WHERE CRAFT MEETS TECHNOLOGY”

Back for a second time, the “Learning City: Where Craft Meets Technology” initiative is a collaboration between the Lifelong Learning Council, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), the President’s Office and Science Centre Singapore, aimed to promote the lifelong learning mindset among Singaporeans. Through engaging in fun hands-on learning activities, participants will be guided to tinker and make, try out new skills and ignite their interest to learn a craft or skill, with technology as an enabler.

Over 10 community partners from the Makers community have come together, bringing with them more than 12 activity booths for the public. Participants will also get to meet more than 30 makers, crafters, hobbyists, technology enthusiasts, who are charting their own course using the idea of hands-on learning to create and make.

The exhibition showcases the maker movement and the different facets of making, introducing participants to Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths (STEM) through art. The exhibition features five zones: Make, Create, Craft, Build and Play, with activities suitable for all age groups.

Make

In this zone, participants learn through making; which leverages on the idea of Do-It-Yourself approach to learning, bringing the community together with community-created content with an emphasis Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM).

The zone will feature two of the largest maker communities in Singapore; Ground Up Initiative and Sustainable Living Lab. Visitors will try their hands on at building water rockets and llearn about the community learning initiative in the HDB heartlands – Repair Kopitiam.

Create

With the ease of access to technology and increased connectivity, now everyone can be a creator, instead of just a consumer of technology. The Create zone will showcase some of the tools available, and how it has made it possible for some makers to even create the tools themselves.

Maker Kee Wee Teng and his friends will be bringing down their home built laser cutters and 3D printers. Members from the hackerspaceSG will be sharing technologies that enable creative development like VR goggles and drawing robot. Some of the visitors can also make their own VR goggles at the space

Craft

In the Craft zone, simple materials like paper, glass, cement, will be used for participants of all ages to learn through craft work.

The aim is to encourage and pique interest in technology through craft and in doing so, lower the barrier to towards learning. In this zone, Anjali Venkat and Priyanka Gupta will be sharing their work on Quilling and glass mosaics respectively

Build

After going through the Make, Create and Craft zones, the Build zone allows participants to stretch their creativity and look at how they can use an interdisciplinary set of materials and tools to build new projects.

Participants learn to combine Engineering, Design and Craft to build huge everyday furniture with cardboard blocks, as well as design and build assistive devices to benefit the physically-impaired. The partners here include Elda Webb and Engineering Good

Play

To develop and maintain healthy learning habits and attitudes that are critical for lifelong learning, it is important to have a positive relationship with learning and learning processes.

The experience that children have with learning at an early age can possibly shape their relationship with learning throughout their adulthood.

Play is a natural part of a child’s development, and its role in the learning process is important to consider when creating and delivering positive learning experiences, even for learners of all ages. The Play space contains activities that allow families with young kids to play and learn through play using a wide variety of materials and tools, such as the Marble Run where participants compete against each other using everyday materials to build a path for their marbles to reach the end of the path as slowly as possible. The partners here include Imagin8ors and Come and Make.

ANNEX C

FEES FOR ENTRANCE INTO THE ISTANA MAIN BUILDING

The following fees are applicable for the tours of the State Room, Banquet Hall and Reception Room in the Istana main building:

Singaporeans and Permanent Residents	Unguided	Guided*
Children (4 to 12 years)	$2.00	$2.00
Adult		$4.00
Package for family of four	Not applicable	$12.00
Others
Children( 4 to 12 years)	$2.00	$2.00
Adult	$4.00	$10.00
Package for family of four	Not applicable	$30.00

ISTANA MAIN BUILDING GUIDED TOURS

Guided tours are conducted by volunteers from the Preservation of Sites and Monuments division of the National Heritage Board. The tours are limited to 15 persons per group, and depart every 30 minutes from 9.00 am to 3.00 pm. All fees collected will be donated to charity.

ANNEX D

FEES FOR NATURE GUIDED WALK AT THE ISTANA

The following fees are applicable for the Nature Guided Walk at the Istana:

Singaporeans and Permanent Residents	Guided*
Children (4 to 12 years)	$2.00
Adult	$4.00
Package for family of four	$12.00
Others
Children( 4 to 12 years)	$2.00
Adult	$10.00
Package for family of four	$30.00

* Guided tours are conducted by volunteers and are limited to between 12 to 15 persons per group, and depart every hour from 10.00am to 4.00pm.

All fees collected will be donated to charity.

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