Commemorate Singapore’s History at the One and Only Bicentennial Edition of Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival 2019

Chinatown to sing a celebratory tune as dazzling street decorations, nostalgic Singaporean icons and hawker food rich in taste and history trace Singapore’s journey from founding to future

 

SINGAPORE – Media
OutReach – 6 August 2019 – Mid-Autumn Festival and Bicentennial
celebrations
come together for a month-long extravaganza of high-octane stage performances, cultural
activities for the public to enjoy and a mouth-watering taste of Singapore’s
food heritage. Themed “Bicentennial
Mid-Autumn Festival 2019“ ( ???????
???????) , experience the one-of-its
kind festival that celebrates Singapore’s Chinese heritage with nostalgia and
anticipation.  

 

Be
whisked back in time with a magnificent display of installations that traces
Singapore’s journey to nationhood from the year Sir Stamford Raffles set foot
in Singapore, to the dawn of independence, to a digital world that marks
Singapore’s foray into the future. Besides the main streets of Chinatown that
will be lined with uniquely Singaporean motifs such as attap huts, Samsui women,
HDB flats, Changi Airport and the iconic Singapore skyline, the bustling South Bridge
Road will be festooned with colourful ribbon-style lanterns for visitors to
bask in the carnivalesque atmosphere.

 

Main
highlights of the festival include a daily dose of lion dance performances for the
first time and a trail where visitors can eat their way through 19 hawker
stalls that are mainstays in the local hawker culture with at least 30 years of
history each.  

 

The
Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival 2019 organised by the Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng Citizens’
Consultative Committee (KA-KS CCC) and supported by the Singapore Tourism Board
begins with the Official Light-Up and Opening
Ceremony on 31 August 2019 which will illuminate the entire Chinatown till
28 September 2019.

 

The
Mass Lantern Walk promises to be a
lantern-toting, nostalgia-inducing activity where revellers will be greeted by larger-than-life
LED mascots and characters dressed in iconic Singaporean get-ups from the fifties
and sixties. Another event not to be missed is the Nightly Stage Shows where audience members will be treated to electrifying
lion dance performances every night for 30 minutes. Instantly recognisable Xinyao ( ? ? ) medleys will fill the air as singers
serenade the crowd with all-time favourite songs from the eighties that have established
themselves as hallmarks of Singaporean music.

 

For
those hungry for a taste of local cuisine, Chinatown is home to some of the
most famous and historical hawker centres in town such as People’s Park Food Centre
and Singapore’s largest hawker centre, Chinatown Complex Food Centre. Join the Heritage + Food Trail to savour popular
local dishes such as fishball noodles with a 73-year-old recipe and visit stalls
helmed by second and third-generation hawkers whose stalls originated from push
carts in olden-day Chinatown. The oldest stall is Toh Kee Roast Meat that has
been serving up their signature crispy, juicy roast duck for over a hundred
years — a cultural gem that deserves a mention in Singapore’s 200^th
anniversary.

 

Some other key highlights of this year’s festival
include:

• Lantern
  Painting Competition , with a NEW open category that is free for the public
  to register and with cash prizes to be won
• Festive
  Street Bazaar , with over 200 street stalls selling traditional delicacies
  such as decadent mooncakes and goodies
• Curated
  Photography Opportunities along Popular Food Street and Kreta Ayer Square for
  visitors to admire beautiful, life-sized lanterns up close and take part in a social
  media photo contest

 

For
past festival photos, please download from

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/p71708pnjqve5qz/AAAfmPke4GiIZPWyzlgwIknDa?dl=0

 

For more information on these activities, members of the
public can call Kreta Ayer CC at +65 6222 3597 or email info@chinatownfestivals.sg

About Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng Citizens’ Consultative Committee

The Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng Citizens’ Consultative
Committee plans, leads and coordinates community activities for the Kreta
Ayer-Kim Seng Constituency. It channels the needs and problems of the residents
to the Government and keeps them informed of the government’s actions and
policies. It also raises funds for welfare aid to the needy, bursaries and
scholarships for deserving students and other community projects.