For the first time, revellers ushering the new year at Marina Bay on Dec 31 will be treated to hourly fireworks displays from 8.05pm that will culminate in a six-minute finale at the stroke of midnight.

The minute-long firework displays will complement light projections on various Marina Bay landmarks such as the Fullerton Hotel Singapore, the Merlion and the ArtScience Museum.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), which is organising the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown, said on Thursday (Dec 21) it expects the Republic’s largest countdown celebration to draw a crowd of about 350,000.

From Dec 26, in the lead up to New Year’s Eve, the five-minute light projections will be shown every half-hour, from 8pm to 10pm.

And instead of having the public’s wishes for the new year penned on “wishing spheres” that are released into the bay, as has been the practice in previous years, selected wishes will be displayed on Fullerton Hotel’s façade.

This year’s Marina Bay countdown will feature four activity zones, spread out across the Marina Bay area and Civic District, to cater to different groups of visitors, said URA’s director of place management Jason Chen.

Those at The Float@Marina Bay can enjoy the fireworks, enjoy a picnic or shop at an outdoor bazaar. The Prudential Marina Bay Carnival will welcome revellers from 3pm to 2am.

The Promontory and Bayfront Event Space will feature live performances by groups such as Falling Feathers and TheLionCityBoy, while the Civic District will be a car-free hub where the public can do yoga, group exercises and enjoy movie screenings. They may also visit the Asian Civilisations Museum (open until midnight) and exhibition galleries of the National Gallery Singapore (open as late as until 2am).

“We welcome everyone to join us at the heart of our city to usher in the New Year together,” said URA chief executive Lim Eng Hwee.

The police said in a separate news release that police officers, auxiliary police officers as well as security officers will be deployed at the countdown for crowd control.

They will be joined by officers from the Special Operations Command, Protective Security Command, the Public Transport Security Command and Emergency Response Teams.

Deputy commander of the police’s Central Division William Koh said measures have been “calibrated” to the level of threat.

Members of the public are advised to watch out for molesters and not to “engage in activities that may cause annoyance or compromise the safety of others”.

The flying of unmanned aircraft, including drones, is strongly discouraged, the police said.

To prevent overcrowding, the number of visitors entering some areas in the vicinity of Marina Bay will be regulated. The areas include The Promontory, One Fullerton and Merlion Park, and the Marina Bay Sands Promenade. In the event of overcrowding, certain MRT station exits may be closed and the crowd will be diverted to other areas.

Road closures in and around the Marina Bay and Civic District will also be effected from New Year’s Eve. For example, St Andrew’s Road, Connaught Drive and part of Fullerton Road will be closed to traffic from 4pm on Dec 31 until 5am the next day.

Source:
courtesy of TODAY

by Today

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