SINGAPORE - Visitors and shoppers in Orchard Road can, for the first time, take home a piece of the street's annual Christmas light-up, which is back for its 29th year.
The Orchard Road Business Association (Orba) said on Thursday that keepsakes like tote bags, mugs and T-shirts will be sold from Nov 17 to Jan 6.
The limited-edition items, made to match the street's decorations, will be sold at gift shops in front of Tang Plaza and Ngee Ann City. They were designed by Orba and six students from the Lasalle College of the Arts. Prices range from $7.50 to $26.
This year's light-up, called Christmas on a Great Street, has three zones, each with its own motif: Tree for Joy at the Tanglin zone, Heart for Love at the Orchard zone, and Dove for Peace at the Somerset zone.
The lights will be switched on by President Tony Tan Keng Yam during a ceremony tomorrow (Nov 17) at 7pm outside Ion Orchard. Volunteers will also be giving out up to 7,000 torchlight candles to the public. Orba has pledged to donate $1 to the Community Chest for every candle distributed.
To add to the festive cheer, nightly live musical shows will be staged from Dec 17 to Dec 25 at four areas along the walkway in Orchard Road between Scotts and Bideford roads. Ten malls along the 2.2km strip will take part in the Best Dressed Building Contest, taking place from tomorrow to Dec 2. The public will be able to vote for their favourite on Orchard Road's Facebook page.
And with every $50 spent using a Visa card at participating merchants, shoppers have a chance to win $1,000 worth of shopping vouchers. There will be one winner daily from tomorrow to Jan 5.
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) Thursday reported that 6.57 million people visited Orchard Road and Marina Bay during last year's festive Christmas in the Tropics campaign, an increase from 6.06 million in 2010.
"Over the years, Christmas in the Tropics has become a much-anticipated year-end tradition for both locals and visitors to the region," said Ms Tan Yen Nee, STB's deputy director of enrichment and lifestyle precincts development. "This year, the Orchard Road, Sentosa HarbourFront and Marina Bay precincts will each feature distinctive Christmas programmes, enabling everyone to experience how Singapore... ushers in the festive spirit in our own special way," she added.
Ion Orchard, which will open till 11pm from Dec 19 to Dec 23, will feature a moving animation of falling snowflakes on the media wall covering the mall. A fireworks display will light up the night sky above VivoCity at 9pm on Dec 6, and an 18m Christmas tree is already up at Plaza Singapura's front plaza.
Shoppers like Mrs Wendy Chua, 42, a mother of two, said that the yearly Christmas light-up is a must-see. "Every year, I take my two kids down to Orchard Road. They really enjoy seeing all the lights and the music that's playing," said the part-time teacher. "It's magical, and the effort put in to transform the place is really quite something."
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