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SINGAPORE: The Istana will open its grounds to the public next Sunday (Apr 19) in celebration of Hari Raya and the upcoming Labour Day, the President’s Office Istana said in a media release on Monday.<\/p>\n
The open house will take from 8.30am to 6pm and feature a range of performances that reflect Singapore’s multicultural heritage, such as the dikir barat traditional Malay music form, Malay dance, Bharatanatyam, a type of Indian classical dance, and Indian folk dance.<\/p>\n
Performances will be presented by the MacPherson Philharmonic Orchestra, Punggol View Primary School Children\u2019s Choir, Singapore Polytechnic Indian Cultural Society, Singapore Polytechnic Malay Language Society and Voices of Singapore Children\u2019s Choir.<\/p>\n
Visitors can participate in hands-on activities such as lawn bowling, painting a Singa the Kindness Lion bench and craft-making with recycled materials. A scavenger hunt will be held around the Istana grounds, developed in collaboration with students from Singapore Polytechnic.<\/p>\n
Visitors are also invited to explore the Istana grounds, including its architecture, as well as its flora and fauna.<\/p>\n
Self-guided tours of the Istana Villa, one of the buildings on the Istana grounds,<\/strong> will be available throughout the day, offering visitors a chance to view a collection of state gifts presented to Singapore\u2019s leaders.<\/p>\n Those who have pre-registered for the guided Istana heritage tour can tour the grounds during their selected timeslots between 9am and 4pm.<\/p>\n Food and beverage stalls will be available, with only cashless payments accepted.<\/p>\n The media release noted that the main Istana building is closed for restoration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n