SINGAPORE \u2013 As the Kallang Wave rippled across the National Stadium, some 42,000 people buzzed with excitement as they waited for Singapore\u2019s 61st birthday celebrations to begin.<\/p>\n
It was the first time in a decade that the National Day Parade was held at the venue, and even the searing afternoon heat could not keep the crowd\u2019s energy levels down.<\/p>\n
Crowds also gathered around the stadium<\/span><\/a> and the Kallang Basin, some \u201cchope\u201d-ing seats to get a good view of the fireworks, while others met and took pictures with NDP mascots.<\/p>\n The festivities kicked off at 6pm, with three new faces \u2013 Hafidz Rahman, Udaya Soundari and Xixi Lim \u2013 joining NDP mainstays Joakim Gomez and Gurmit Singh to lead the crowd in a singalong.<\/p>\n The Singapore flag paraded in the stadium, carried by Team Singapore athletes and para-athletes.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n A film then traced the national flag\u2019s journey as it was relayed across Singapore\u2019s landmarks and heartlands, before the flag swept into the stadium, borne aloft by Team Singapore athletes and para-athletes.<\/p>\n Among them were Paralympic swimmer Yip Pin Xiu, kite-foiler Max Maeder and indoor skydiver Kai Minejima-Lee, alongside student-athletes from the Singapore Sports School.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s NDP broke from its usual format, doing away with crowd favourites such as the Red Lions and aerial display.<\/p>\n In its place were a number of firsts. This year\u2019s parade was 32 contingents-strong, the largest civilian turnout in more than a decade, and included the first contingent fully <\/span><\/a>made up of persons with disabilities<\/span><\/a> in recent years.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/picture><\/div>