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| Starts | 30 Jul 2017 (Sun) (ONE day only) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Istana |
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To celebrate National Day, the Istana grounds will be open to the public on Sunday, 30 July 2017, from 8.30am to 6.00pm.
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.
A key highlight of the day’s festivities is the launch of the Istana Harvest Sorbet by President and Mrs Mary Tan.
Istana Harvest Sorbet
To commemorate Singapore’s 52nd birthday, President and Mrs Tan will be launching the Istana Harvest Sorbet at the National Day Istana Open House.
“The Istana Harvest is a signature drink created using ingredients found in the Istana’s Spice Garden. Currently served exclusively to foreign dignitaries and guests of the Istana, Mrs Tan and I wanted to share this unique flavour with more Singaporeans. We therefore explored the idea of creating a sorbet based on the Istana Harvest drink, as a refreshing treat for visitors to our Istana Open House,” said President.
A collaboration between the President’s Office and President’s Challenge partner Udders Ice Cream, the Istana Harvest Sorbet will be on sale at the Udders Ice Cream booths at the Istana Open House. All proceeds will be donated to President’s Challenge.
The Istana Spice Garden was unveiled by President and Mrs Tan during the National Day Istana Open House in 2015, in celebration of SG50. The Garden celebrates the fact that spices used to be found on the Istana grounds when the locality was still a nutmeg plantation. In 2016, the Istana Harvest was created as a drink using these spices and served only to foreign dignitaries and guests of the Istana.
Programme highlights
Another highlight of this Istana Open House is the annual Istana Art Event, organised by the Singapore Art Museum and the National Heritage Board (NHB). The Istana Art Event comprises an on-the-spot art competition for 3- to 12-year-olds and hands-on activity booths at the Arts & Heritage Village. Organised in partnership with the Museum Roundtable (an association of Singapore’s public and private museums and galleries), the Arts & Heritage Village offers art and craft activities such as batik painting and calligraphy. The variety of activities at the Arts & Heritage Village reflects the diverse themes and offerings of Singapore’s museums.
Visitors to this Istana Open House can also look forward to music performances by Ang Mo Kio Secondary School as well as song and dance performances by Thye Hua Kwan Child Care and Student Care Centre and So Drama! Entertainment.
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 the 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. Members of the public may download the LocoMole app from the AppStore or Google Play and explore the Istana Mobile Educational Trails. Visitors who download the app and participate in the trails stand a chance to be eligible for the NDP 2017 Trails Contest. More information can be found at www.ndptrails.sg.
Istana souvenirs as well as long-stemmed red and white roses by Roses Only 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.
ISTANA ART EVENT
The annual Istana Art Event is back for an early celebration of Singapore’s birthday, with various fun-filled programmes for the family. 3- to 12-year-olds are invited to participate in the popular On-the-Spot Art Competition.
All visitors can also take part in a whole range of activities and workshops at the Arts & Heritage Village, organised by the Museum Roundtable, an association of Singapore’s public and private museums and galleries chaired by NHB.
Istana Art Event On-the-Spot Art Competition
Time: 10am – 2pm
Join the Istana Art Event On-the-Spot Art Competition for 3- to 12-year-olds! With the theme ‘One Nation Together’, share with us special stories of how Singaporeans unite and stand together as one country.
The first 1,000 participants to submit their artworks will receive an exclusive Istana Art Event goodie bag and enjoy free entry to the Istana Main Building. There are two categories –
- Junior – for children age between 3 and 6 years-old
- Intermediate – for children age between 7 and 12 years-old
Winners of each category will receive cash prizes awarded by President and Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Ms Grace Fu.
Istana Art Event Arts & Heritage Village
Time: 9am – 5pm
Organised by the National Heritage Board in partnership with the Museum Roundtable[1], there’s something for everyone at the Arts & Heritage Village.
Create special souvenirs to bring home, from brooches to clay figurines, and even photo printouts when you hashtag your Instagram photographs with #IstanaArtEvent.
Singapore Art Museum
Create your own bookmarks and pom-poms, inspired by the artworks in Singapore Art Museum’s ongoing exhibition, Imaginarium: To the Ends of the Earth.
Express your memories and experiences with nature, as inspired by the immersive Wanderland, and share your thoughts and emotions through art-making activities, like the Lizard Tail artwork installation.
Asian Civilisations Museum and Peranakan Museum
Discover art through batik painting and beading. Create your own artwork inspired by the collection of the Asian Civilisations Museum or Peranakan Museum, and bring it home.
Chinese Heritage Centre
Discover various National Monuments in Singapore through a jigsaw puzzle game with your family members. Families will get to bring home their completed jigsaw sets!
Eurasian Heritage Centre
Experience Eurasian culture – a blend of the East and West – through crafts like crocheting, knitting and tatting, which were used to sew clothes and household items such as coasters, doilies and pouches.
Gan Heritage Centre
Understand Asian values and cultures better through fun games and a hands-on Yan style calligraphy workshop.
Malay Heritage Centre
Create your own haj belt or kerongsang and strike a pose in the traditional Malay wear! These items are inspired by goods traded by merchants and philanthropists in the Nusantara (Malay Archipelago).
National Gallery Singapore
Beat the heat by making your own paddle hand fan and personalising it with doodles from Gallery Children’s Biennale!
NUS Museum
Explore the history and diverse culture of Singapore through a mini exhibition of the NUS Museum collection, as well as through colouring sheets, painting your own batik designs, or recreating 1950s woodblock prints.
STPI
Inspired by David Hockney’s intimate portraits, some of which are now on view at STPI Gallery, create quirky styrofoam relief print portraits of your family and friends!
About the Istana Art Event Organisers
Singapore Art Museum
Singapore Art Museum (SAM) is a contemporary art museum which focuses on art-making and art-thinking in Singapore, Southeast Asia and Asia, encompassing a worldwide perspective on contemporary art practice. SAM advocates and makes accessible interdisciplinary contemporary art through research-led and evolving curatorial practice. Since it opened in January 1996, SAM has built up one of the most important collections of contemporary art from the region. It seeks to seed and nourish a stimulating and creative space in Singapore and to deepen every visitor’s experience through its exhibitions and outreach and education programmes, as well as research, publications, and cross-disciplinary residencies and exchanges. SAM was the venue organiser of the 2011 edition of the Singapore Biennale, and is the main organiser for the 2013 and 2016 editions. www.singaporeartmuseum.sg
National Heritage Board
The National Heritage Board (NHB) was formed on 1 August 1993. As the custodian of Singapore’s heritage, NHB is responsible for telling the Singapore story, sharing the Singaporean experience and imparting our Singapore spirit. NHB’s mission is to preserve and celebrate the shared heritage of our diverse communities, for the purpose of education, nation-building and cultural understanding. It manages the national museums and heritage institutions, and sets policies relating to heritage sites, monuments and the national collection. Through the national collection, NHB curates heritage programmes and presents exhibitions to connect the past, present and future generations of Singaporeans. NHB is a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. Please visit www.nhb.gov.sg for more information.
Main Highlights for National Day Istana Open House on Sunday, 30 July 2017
| Time | Activity | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 8.30 a.m. – 5.30 p.m. | Sale of Long-stemmed Red and White Roses by Roses Only | Centre Gate |
| 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 Temasek Polytechnic | Centre Gate |
| 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. | Games Stalls by Raffles Girls’ School | Main Tent |
| 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 |
| 9.00 a.m. – 5.00 p.m. | Arts & Heritage Village | Near Centre Gate |
| 10.00 a.m. – 12 noon | Band Performance by Ang Mo Kio Secondary School | Main Tent |
| 10.00 a.m. – 2.00 p.m. | On-the-spot Art Competition | Villa |
| 10.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m. | Nature Guided Walk organised by NParks | Ticketing Booth near Ceremonial Plaza |
| 10.00 a.m. – 5.00 p.m. | Sale of Udders Ice Cream | Main Tent and Centre Gate |
| 3.30 p.m. – 4.30 p.m. | Song and Dance Performance by Thye Hua Kwan Child Care and Student Care Centre | Ceremonial Plaza |
| 3.30 p.m. | On-the-spot Art Competition (Announcement of Winners) | Main Tent |
| 3.30 p.m. – 4.20 p.m. | Performance by So Drama! Entertainment | Main Tent |
| 4.20 p.m. | On-the-spot Art Competition (Prize Presentation Ceremony) | Main Tent |
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.
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.
[1] Visit www.museums.com.sg for more information on the Museum Roundtable
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