News Releases
Istana Open House on 29 January 2017
25 January 2017
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The Istana grounds will be open to the public on Sunday, 29 January 2017, from 8.30am to 6.00pm, in celebration of the Chinese New Year.
Programme highlights
The public can look forward to music performances by the Punggol Primary School Band and Maha Bodhi Primary School Band. There will be lion dance performances by the Yuan Ching Secondary School Lion Dance Troupe and Yi Quan Atheletic Association Lion Dance Troupe, a rooster and instrumental dance performance by Cixi City Celadon Ou Music Troupe, a contemporary Chinese dance by the Singapore Soka Association's Sunflower Dance Ensemble and a Youthful Spring! Dance by the Soka Youth Dance Crew. The Quanzhou Gaojia Opera Troupe will also be putting up an opera performance and a trained monkey puppet show.
Other features include a display of birds by Wildlife Reserves Singapore and a Chinese calligraphy booth. The programme line-up can be found in Annex A.
Members of the public can choose to sign up for the Nature Guided Walk at the Istana, a collaboration between the President’s Office and the National Parks Board (NParks) which will showcase the Istana’s flora, fauna and biodiversity, or take a guided tour of the Istana main building led by volunteers from the Preservation of Sites and Monuments division of the National Heritage Board and view selected function rooms and display of gifts presented to the President and the Prime Minister by foreign dignitaries.
Visitors can also choose to do a self-guided tour with the help of the “Istana Garden Walk” mobile application, which includes features such as a self-guided Plants Trail to discover 10 types of beautiful plant species in the Istana Gardens and maps of Places of Interest and Plants Trails.
The Istana Heritage Gallery at Istana Park (opposite the main gate of the Istana along Orchard Road) will also be open from 10am to 6pm.
Admission Details
Entry to the Istana grounds is free for Singaporeans and Singapore permanent residents. All others visitors are required to pay an entrance fee of $2 per person. Entry to the Istana grounds is via the main gate at Orchard Road. The nearest MRT station is Dhoby Ghaut.
Additional fees as specified in Annexes B and C will be applied for the guided tours. Istana souvenirs will also be on sale during the Open House. Proceeds from the sale of souvenirs and all entrance fees collected will be donated to charity.
ANNEX A
MAIN HIGHLIGHTS FOR CHINESE NEW YEAR ISTANA OPEN HOUSE ON SUNDAY, 29 JANUARY 2017
Table caption
Time | Activity | Venue |
|---|---|---|
8.30 am – 6.00 pm | Display of Birds by Wildlife Reserves Singapore | Centre Gate |
8.30 am – 5.30 pm | Arts and Crafts Booth by Cognizant Singapore | Centre Gate |
8.30 am – 5.30 pm | Istana Merchandise and Drinks Booths by NCSS | Centre Gate and Main Tent |
8.30 am – 5.30 pm | Chinese Calligraphy Booth by the Chinese Calligraphy Society of Singapore | Main Tent |
8.30 am – 5.30 pm | Istana Main Building Guided Tour by National Heritage Board | Main Building |
8.30 am – 5.30 pm | Istana Main Building Self-guided Tour | Main Building |
10.00 am – 4.00 pm | Nature Guided Walk organised by NParks | Spice and Ginger Gardens |
11.30 am – 12.00 pm | Lion Dance Performance by Yuan Ching Secondary School Lion Dance Troupe | Ceremonial Plaza |
12.30 pm and 1.30 pm | Band Performance by Punggol Primary School | Main Tent |
3.15 pm – 3.30 pm | Rooster and Instrumental Dance performances by Cixi City Celadon Ou Music Troupe | Ceremonial Plaza |
3.30 pm – 3.40 pm | Spring is Here! Dance by the Singapore Soka Association | Ceremonial Plaza |
3.45 pm – 4.30 pm | Band Performance by Maha Bodhi Primary School | Main Tent |
3.45 pm – 4.45 pm | PA Talent’s Roaming Gods of Fortune | Main Tent/ Ceremonial Plaza |
4.05 pm – 4.20 pm | Performance by Yi Quan Athletic Association’s Lion Dance Troupe. | Ceremonial Plaza |
4.25 pm – 4.35 pm | Opera Performance by the Quanzhou Gaojia Opera Troupe | Ceremonial Plaza |
4.35 pm – 4.45 pm | Train Monkey Puppet Show by Quanzhou Gaojia Opera Troupe | Ceremonial Plaza |
4.50 pm – 5.00 pm | Youthful Spring! Dance by the Soka Youth Dance Crew | Ceremonial Plaza |
ANNEX B
FEES FOR ENTRANCE INTO THE ISTANA MAIN BUILDING
The following fees are applicable for the tours of the state room, banquet hall and reception room in the Istana main building:
Table caption
Singaporeans and Permanent Residents | Unguided | Guided* |
|---|---|---|
Children (4 to 12 years) | $2.00 | $2.00 |
Adult | $4.00 | |
Package for family of four | Not applicable | $12.00 |
Others | ||
Children( 4 to 12 years) | $2.00 | $2.00 |
Adult | $4.00 | $10.00 |
Package for family of four | Not applicable | $30.00 |
* ISTANA MAIN BUILDING GUIDED TOURS
Guided tours are conducted by volunteers from the Preservation of Sites and Monuments division of the National Heritage Board. The tours are limited to 15 persons per group, and depart every 20 minutes from 9.00 am to 3.00 pm.
All fees collected will be donated to charity.
ANNNEX C
FEES FOR NATURE GUIDED WALK AT THE ISTANA
The following fees are applicable for the Nature Guided Walk at the Istana:
Table caption
Singaporeans and Permanent Residents | Guided* |
|---|---|
Children (4 to 12 years) | $2.00 |
Adult | $4.00 |
Package for family of four | $12.00 |
Others | |
Children( 4 to 12 years) | $2.00 |
Adult | $10.00 |
Package for family of four | $30.00 |
* Guided tours are conducted by volunteers and are limited to between 12 to 15 persons per group, and depart every hour from 10.00am to 4.00pm.
All fees collected will be donated to charity.