{"id":22880,"date":"2025-12-25T10:03:44","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T02:03:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=22880"},"modified":"2025-12-25T10:03:44","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T02:03:44","slug":"orchard-road-turns-into-pedestrian-and-party-playground-for-christmas-eve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=22880","title":{"rendered":"Orchard Road turns into pedestrian and party playground for Christmas Eve"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">SINGAPORE <!-- -->&#8211; It was the night before Christmas and Orchard Road was stirring with people impatiently waiting for the Great Christmas Eve Street Party to start. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">At 6pm, revellers, shoppers, tourists and middle-aged aunties were already gathered on the pavement near Wisma Atria.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The party was to take place from 8pm, between the Paterson Road junction next to Ion Orchard and the Bideford Road junction near Ngee Ann City.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Several roads into the area were closed for the event, which was supposed to run until 12.15am on Dec 25.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Music blared from speakers dotting the area, fighting for attention from visitors who were enjoying the Christmas decorations and twinkling lights.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Crowds gather at Orchard Road for Christmas Eve street party\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/og7xbWDOnyA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">A magician stepped up to entertain the crowd near Ion Orchard, and a short distance away, a puppet master pulled strings, to much amusement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Ms Mary Lim, 57, was there with two older sisters to soak up the atmosphere. The Indonesian, who is married to a Singaporean and lives here, said it was her first time attending the event. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Her sisters \u2013 Ms Minah Lim, 64, and Ms Monika Lim, a year younger \u2013 had travelled to Singapore to join Ms Mary. They made sure they dressed in the festive colours.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cDuring Christmas, we must wear red and green,\u201d they said excitedly.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"landscape inline-media-wrapper\" data-testid=\"inline-media-test-id\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col items-start relative w-fit\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/ee146cacdeace454215ba0fd5bb0bc5525cd3711243250009139d8566f52f458?w=480\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 720px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/ee146cacdeace454215ba0fd5bb0bc5525cd3711243250009139d8566f52f458?w=720\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 721px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/ee146cacdeace454215ba0fd5bb0bc5525cd3711243250009139d8566f52f458?w=900\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/ee146cacdeace454215ba0fd5bb0bc5525cd3711243250009139d8566f52f458\" alt=\"\" class=\"aspect-landscape flex items-start shrink-0 object-cover landscape article-landscape mobile:w-auto tablet:w-auto\" data-testid=\"image-test-id\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"mobile:mx-16 tablet:mx-00 flex flex-col gap-08 py-16 desktop:pb-24\">\n<p class=\"font-eyebrow-baseline-regular text-secondary\" data-testid=\"inline-media-caption-test-id\">Indonesian sisters (from left) Monika, Minah and Mary were among the revellers soaking up the atmosphere at the event.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-eyebrow-baseline-regular text-placeholder\" data-testid=\"inline-media-credit-test-id\">ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">It was the third Great Christmas Eve Street Party. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The annual event was first organised in 2023, as Singapore and the world shook off the constraints of the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">It was only on Feb 13, 2023, that it stopped being mandatory for all non-fully vaccinated travellers entering Singapore to show proof of a negative pre-departure test. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Non-fully vaccinated short-term visitors were not required to purchase Covid-19 travel insurance, either.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"landscape inline-media-wrapper\" data-testid=\"inline-media-test-id\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col items-start relative w-fit\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/dd7d20133466ff909554c3193064587d708c4f39ff1fa04d2c24003d1fcf6562?w=480\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 720px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/dd7d20133466ff909554c3193064587d708c4f39ff1fa04d2c24003d1fcf6562?w=720\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 721px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/dd7d20133466ff909554c3193064587d708c4f39ff1fa04d2c24003d1fcf6562?w=900\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/dd7d20133466ff909554c3193064587d708c4f39ff1fa04d2c24003d1fcf6562\" alt=\"\" class=\"aspect-landscape flex items-start shrink-0 object-cover landscape article-landscape mobile:w-auto tablet:w-auto\" data-testid=\"image-test-id\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"mobile:mx-16 tablet:mx-00 flex flex-col gap-08 py-16 desktop:pb-24\">\n<p class=\"font-eyebrow-baseline-regular text-secondary\" data-testid=\"inline-media-caption-test-id\">People gathered from 6pm for the event, which kicked off at 8pm.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-eyebrow-baseline-regular text-placeholder\" data-testid=\"inline-media-credit-test-id\">ST PHOTOS: ARIFFIN JAMAR, AZMI ATHNI<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The party that year also marked the 40th anniversary of the annual Christmas in Orchard Road\u00a0light-up, an event which, despite the worries around travel, attracted over four million visitors.   <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">At 8pm, as the party began, waves of revellers poured onto the street from the various entry points located along the road. The route was lined with food trucks, infusing the night air with a mouth-watering aroma.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Street performers stationed themselves in the middle of the road, attracting the attention of many pedestrians, who formed a circle around the entertainers.   <\/p>\n<figure class=\"landscape inline-media-wrapper\" data-testid=\"inline-media-test-id\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col items-start relative w-fit\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/9ae8f604264e25d72020449a8cff938500d8dd0075145106061b269fae81bb75?w=480\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 720px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/9ae8f604264e25d72020449a8cff938500d8dd0075145106061b269fae81bb75?w=720\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 721px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/9ae8f604264e25d72020449a8cff938500d8dd0075145106061b269fae81bb75?w=900\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/9ae8f604264e25d72020449a8cff938500d8dd0075145106061b269fae81bb75\" alt=\"\" class=\"aspect-landscape flex items-start shrink-0 object-cover landscape article-landscape mobile:w-auto tablet:w-auto\" data-testid=\"image-test-id\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"mobile:mx-16 tablet:mx-00 flex flex-col gap-08 py-16 desktop:pb-24\">\n<p class=\"font-eyebrow-baseline-regular text-secondary\" data-testid=\"inline-media-caption-test-id\">People in the crowd watching a street performance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-eyebrow-baseline-regular text-placeholder\" data-testid=\"inline-media-credit-test-id\">ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Ms Bernadette Neo, 39, was there with her seven-year-old daughter Isabella. It was their first time at the event. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Ms Neo, a secretary, had read about the event on social media. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cThere were a lot of people waiting to get into the area. But when you do get in, it\u2019s not so bad,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The police had announced on Dec 22 that they would deploy police officers, auxiliary police officers and security officers\u00a0to manage the crowds in the Orchard Road area.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"landscape inline-media-wrapper\" data-testid=\"inline-media-test-id\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col items-start relative w-fit\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/b629dce34b7c1861011a441a4561cb4332a26f740ff7257264cd6c199fb0e45f?w=480\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 720px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/b629dce34b7c1861011a441a4561cb4332a26f740ff7257264cd6c199fb0e45f?w=720\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 721px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/b629dce34b7c1861011a441a4561cb4332a26f740ff7257264cd6c199fb0e45f?w=900\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/b629dce34b7c1861011a441a4561cb4332a26f740ff7257264cd6c199fb0e45f\" alt=\"\" class=\"aspect-landscape flex items-start shrink-0 object-cover landscape article-landscape mobile:w-auto tablet:w-auto\" data-testid=\"image-test-id\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"mobile:mx-16 tablet:mx-00 flex flex-col gap-08 py-16 desktop:pb-24\">\n<p class=\"font-eyebrow-baseline-regular text-secondary\" data-testid=\"inline-media-caption-test-id\">Police and security officers patrolling Orchard Road during the event.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-eyebrow-baseline-regular text-placeholder\" data-testid=\"inline-media-credit-test-id\">ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Attendees were also encouraged to make use of a <a href=\"https:\/\/go.gov.sg\/crowd-at-orchard-road\/?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular inline\" data-testid=\"paragraph-test-id\">digital map<\/p>\n<p><\/a>, which displays real-time crowd levels and road closures. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Malaysian national Zachary Sze, 16, was back for a second time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cThe decorations were nicer in 2024, more elaborate. And they had Christmas music playing, not generic pop,\u201d said the student, who added that he was worried when the crowd grew later in the night.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cThe crowd was so bad that there were moments where I almost lost track of my family,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Mr Matthew Koh had cycled to the party from his home in Serangoon Central. The interior project manager said he started at 3pm.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"landscape inline-media-wrapper\" data-testid=\"inline-media-test-id\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col items-start relative w-fit\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/3d05c17e044175c15867dc78fe6abaa439cdb5708c062adcc1a31269287076eb?w=480\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 720px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/3d05c17e044175c15867dc78fe6abaa439cdb5708c062adcc1a31269287076eb?w=720\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 721px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/3d05c17e044175c15867dc78fe6abaa439cdb5708c062adcc1a31269287076eb?w=900\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/3d05c17e044175c15867dc78fe6abaa439cdb5708c062adcc1a31269287076eb\" alt=\"\" class=\"aspect-landscape flex items-start shrink-0 object-cover landscape article-landscape mobile:w-auto tablet:w-auto\" data-testid=\"image-test-id\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"mobile:mx-16 tablet:mx-00 flex flex-col gap-08 py-16 desktop:pb-24\">\n<p class=\"font-eyebrow-baseline-regular text-secondary\" data-testid=\"inline-media-caption-test-id\">Mr Matthew Koh dressed up as Santa Claus and cycled to the event from his home in Serangoon Central.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-eyebrow-baseline-regular text-placeholder\" data-testid=\"inline-media-credit-test-id\">ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The 58-year-old dressed up as Santa Claus for the party, something he did the previous year as well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cIn fact, I dress as Santa Claus every year. It\u2019s something I do to make people happy during the festive season,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Some in the crowd donned Santa hats as they \u201csleighed\u201d the makeshift dance floor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">And, despite reports of a possible storm, the weather held, and partygoers danced the night away. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/orchard-road-turns-into-pedestrian-and-party-playground-for-christmas-eve\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SINGAPORE &#8211; It was the night before Christmas and Orchard Road was stirring with people impatiently waiting for the Great Christmas Eve Street Party to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1864,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22880\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}