Istana to be open to public during Deepavali on 6 November 2018

To celebrate Deepavali, the Istana grounds will be open to the public on Tuesday, 6 November 2018, from 8.30am to 6.00pm.

Programme highlights

During the Deepavali Istana Open House (IOH), visitors will be able to enjoy a wide range of activities planned. These include music performances by CHIJ Toa Payoh Secondary School Concert Band, Percussion and Drums Performance by Rhythm Masala followed by Indian Dance Performance by Sampada Dance Studio.

Other features of the Open House include a display of reptiles by Wildlife Reserves and activity booths with face painting and balloon sculpting. The programme line-up can be found in Annex A.

Exhibitions and Tours

Members of the public can sign up for the Nature Guided Walk at the Istana, a collaboration between the President’s Office and the National Parks Board (NParks) which showcases the Istana’s flora, fauna and biodiversity. Visitors can also 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 some of the function rooms and a display of State Gifts presented by foreign dignitaries.

Visitors can go on a self-guided tour with the help of the "Istana Garden Walk" mobile application, which includes maps of Places of Interest within the Istana and a self-guided Plants Trail to discover 10 types of beautiful plant species in the Istana Gardens. Visitors can redeem a souvenir at the booths near the Centre Gate after they have completed the trails on the application.

The Istana Heritage Gallery (IHG) at the Istana Park (located opposite the main gate of the Istana along Orchard Road) will be open from 10am to 6pm. At the IHG, visitors can learn more about Singapore’s history and heritage. For a self-guided interactive tour of the IHG and the Istana Park, visitors can download the LocoMole mobile application to embark on the Istana Mobile Educational Trails and gain more insights to the heritage, flora and fauna of the Istana, as well as the lives of our past Presidents.

The President Challenge’s memorabilia series will be available to visitors who make a donation to President’s Challenge during the Istana Open Houses. The series includes leather key chains, luggage tags, notebooks, bookmarks, and magnets.

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.

PRESIDENT’S OFFICE

30 October 2018