Singapore's shopping boulevard, Orchard Road, is all set for Christmas celebrations. This year, the Christmas lights in Orchard Road will be lit up at 3 pm on Saturday, November 11, to give visitors the experience of seeing the lights during daytime and one day more than the previous year.
This time A Great Street on Orchard Road will be lit up in shades of blue, silver, and purple, along with decorations including street-side installations and the main arch, following the pattern of every year. The opening ceremony will also inaugurate the Community Chest's annual charity drive through the Christmas season, says the official website.
The opening ceremony, starting at 7 pm, will be officiated by President Halimah Yacob this year. In 2016, then President Tony Tan had done the honours. The Official Light Up Ceremony of 2016 had taken place at 6.30 pm on November 12. This time, the celebrations will go on until January 2018.
Highlights of the 2017 celebration include the Walk of Wonder, the Enchanted Tree and the Endless Wonder Christmas Village.
The Christmas Village will be set up outside Ngee Ann City, hosting shops and pop-up stores like Haagen Dazs, Tiffany & Co. Fragrances and SK-II, as well as diners and live performance centres. Visitors will be able to see the Hitachi Santa's House and enjoy the Christmas Eve Countdown Concert.
The website of the event is also offering visitors a chance to play an online game and win a free carousel ride at the village. The malls, departmental stores and outlets will all be competing for the Best Dressed Building Award, which will commence on Friday, November 17, 2017.
The preparations for this year's Christmas celebrations have been taken a notch higher, giving a tough challenge to organisers. The 2.8-kilometre stretch, from Tanglin Mall to Plaza Singapura, has maintained its tradition of being lit up with the Christmas spirit for six weeks every year.
The biggest shopping street of Singapore is now better and brighter, after being renovated in 2009. The revamp project cost S$40 million as new street lamps, green rooms, street tiles, flower totem poles and planter boxes were installed.
This year, the Orchard Road Business Association hopes to attract 3.64 million visitors during the Christmas celebration period.
