{"id":24828,"date":"2026-01-01T06:23:38","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T22:23:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=24828"},"modified":"2026-01-01T06:23:38","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T22:23:38","slug":"singapore-welcomes-2026-with-dazzling-fireworks-heartland-cheer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=24828","title":{"rendered":"Singapore welcomes 2026 with dazzling fireworks, heartland cheer"},"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; Singapore ushered in the new year in dazzling splendor, with a final hurrah to the Republic\u2019s 60th birthday and an eye towards an even brighter 2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">As the clock struck midnight, massive crowds that thronged the Marina Bay and Kallang Basin waterfronts turned their gazes skyward to the final crescendo of fireworks that lit up the clear night sky, and some found themselves reflecting on the year that had just passed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Among the thousands at the area in front of The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands was Mr Jun Han, a communications professional who has made it an annual ritual to usher in the new year at Marina Bay. He reached at 7.30pm to secure a choice spot for himself.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The 23-year-old said he was heartened by the myriad languages he overheard while walking around Marina Bay earlier in the evening.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cSingapore has come very far &#8211; I see it becoming more international, not just with tourists but a variety of nationalities&#8230; I believe our city has a bright future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Singapore welcomes 2026 with dazzling fireworks displays\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AyI6SbRPI6k?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\">With a concert headlined by K-pop group Super Junior and a 35-minute firework display spread across four chapters, The Kallang &#8211; the renamed Singapore Sports Hub &#8211; was another hot spot to ring in the new year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">By 8pm, police had closed the Jubilee Bridge, Fullerton waterfront and Merlion waterfront areas <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/new-year-2026-countdowns-police-close-access-to-3-areas-around-marina-bay-due-to-crowds?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"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\">due to capacity crowds.<\/p>\n<p><\/a> The Esplanade waterfront, Marina Bay Sands waterfront and Helix Bridge areas were also closed by 10.40pm, as was Stadium Riverside Walk and Water Sports Centre by about 11.10pm.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Those who opted for locations closer to home were wowed by evening-long celebrations at Boon Lay, Keat Hong, Marsiling, Nee Soon, Punggol, Tampines and Woodlands, and countdowns also took place at five migrant worker recreation centres and more than 10 dormitories, with live performances, food stations and carnival games.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The seven heartland celebrations organised by the People\u2019s Association each featured unique activities, such as sober clubbing at Woodlands Waterfront and a fire circus at One Punggol.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"default 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\/2181abeb799d49338520251339aa4fbfcf71c465c40d04e4ce9b9feda4d40a5f?w=480\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 720px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/2181abeb799d49338520251339aa4fbfcf71c465c40d04e4ce9b9feda4d40a5f?w=720\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 721px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/2181abeb799d49338520251339aa4fbfcf71c465c40d04e4ce9b9feda4d40a5f?w=900\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/2181abeb799d49338520251339aa4fbfcf71c465c40d04e4ce9b9feda4d40a5f\" alt=\"\" class=\"aspect-default flex items-start shrink-0 object-cover default article-default 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\">Fire eaters wowing the crowd at ONE Countdown 2026 @ One Punggol.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-eyebrow-baseline-regular text-placeholder\" data-testid=\"inline-media-credit-test-id\">ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The 8,500 people who turned up for the inaugural celebration at Woodlands Waterfront were treated to a rousing DJ set, where instead of alcohol revellers kept their energy up with Teh Tarik and food items like ice cream, hotdogs and fried noodles. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Mr Jordan Ang, the organising chair for the event, said the organisers decided on the idea after they saw many people dancing with their families at last year\u2019s countdown.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Mr Ernesto Jr Tecson, 27, was at the event with his fiance and their families. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cIt\u2019s quite fun and not rowdy, it\u2019s just everyone having fun together without alcohol,\u201d said the engineering consultant and Woodlands resident. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He said he hopes for fast-paced Singapore to become a kinder society in the coming year. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t take a lot to be nicer to others, and I think it\u2019s very important for people to be kind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cI also wish for cooler weather,\u201d he quipped. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"default 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\/f85afaa9484a0a45071caad3b9ff59c8bba3733bcae07be7c9afbf3d389660c3?w=480\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 720px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/f85afaa9484a0a45071caad3b9ff59c8bba3733bcae07be7c9afbf3d389660c3?w=720\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 721px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/f85afaa9484a0a45071caad3b9ff59c8bba3733bcae07be7c9afbf3d389660c3?w=900\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/f85afaa9484a0a45071caad3b9ff59c8bba3733bcae07be7c9afbf3d389660c3\" alt=\"\" class=\"aspect-default flex items-start shrink-0 object-cover default article-default 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 watching the new year celebrations at Woodlands Waterfront.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-eyebrow-baseline-regular text-placeholder\" data-testid=\"inline-media-credit-test-id\">ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">At One Punggol community hub, the party started even before sundown, with caricature drawing, community performances, and foam blaster tag for the younger set.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Meanwhile, a smaller crowd had gathered along the running track facing an open field, for the best views of the evening\u2019s highlight: a 200-drone show and fireworks display.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Making themselves comfortable on a picnic mat were Mr Firzuan Azman and Mr Al\u2019Faizal, both 26, who were on a double date with their girlfriends.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cThis was my girlfriend\u2019s dad\u2019s idea &#8211; he said we could see the fireworks, and suggested bringing her out here.\u201d said Mr Al\u2019Faizal, who works as a production technician.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Pastry chef Ehla Datu was also relaxing as she waited for the fireworks, with nine others. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cSome of us are housemates, and some are friends, and some are family,\u201d said the 30-year-old, who arrived in Singapore from the Philippines earlier in 2025 to work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">As they waited for the clock to strike 12, the 10 of them feasted on a spread of home-cooked dishes, including spaghetti and barbecued meat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">She said: \u201cThis is my first time celebrating New Year\u2019s in Singapore. My housemates have done it a few times, so they brought me out today so that I could experience it too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">When asked about her hopes for 2026, Ms Datu said amid laughter that she wished for \u201chappiness, good health, a healthy relationship, and more money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">At 11.45pm, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong took to the stage for the countdown with his residents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">In a short speech, he said that despite 2025 having been a challenging year, people in Singapore have worked together to keep the country going.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">While he expects 2026 to also be full of challenges and volatility, DPM Gan said he is confident it will be a good year, so long as people keep working together.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">At midnight, fireworks lit up the Punggol sky for almost eight minutes, the sprays of colour complemented on the ground by four fire-eaters who worked in tandem with pyrotechnic machines to ring in the new year in a blaze.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"default 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\/7efb1d0d61b60370f19f0041a89811cb963da17ce7a7c629ddbe07ba193bdbf2?w=480\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 720px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/7efb1d0d61b60370f19f0041a89811cb963da17ce7a7c629ddbe07ba193bdbf2?w=720\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 721px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/7efb1d0d61b60370f19f0041a89811cb963da17ce7a7c629ddbe07ba193bdbf2?w=900\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/7efb1d0d61b60370f19f0041a89811cb963da17ce7a7c629ddbe07ba193bdbf2\" alt=\"\" class=\"aspect-default flex items-start shrink-0 object-cover default article-default 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\">Fireworks at the ONE Countdown 2026 @ One Punggol\u00a0event.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-eyebrow-baseline-regular text-placeholder\" data-testid=\"inline-media-credit-test-id\">ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Punggol resident Lim Jun Wei, 32, was drawn by the pounding music to catch a glimpse of the action, though he later ushered in the new year at home with his family.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cIt\u2019s good that there are events like these in the heartlands &#8211; you get to see people come together and celebrate as one community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cHere\u2019s hoping that 2026 will be a good year.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/singapore-welcomes-2026-with-dazzling-fireworks-heartland-cheer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SINGAPORE &#8211; Singapore ushered in the new year in dazzling splendor, with a final hurrah to the Republic\u2019s 60th birthday and an eye towards an&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24830,"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-24828","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\/24828","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=24828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24828\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}