SINGAPORE – At the stroke of midnight, Singapore ushered in a new year with countdown parties in Housing Board heartlands like Tampines and Punggol, as well as a spectacular eight-minute fireworks display at Marina Bay.

Revellers thronged the bay area from as early as 3pm on Tuesday (Dec 31) to catch the festivities that included live performances at Esplanade Outdoor Theatre, a pets carnival at the Civic District and a 90-minute fireworks musical at The Float @ Marina Bay with 500 drones, 3D light projections and pyrotechnics.

At 10.50pm, the drone performance lit up the night sky at Marina Bay, creating formations such as a spaceship and a whale, and culminating with an eight-minute fireworks display at midnight.

The fireworks show was produced by Japanese entertainment group Avex.

At the Jubilee Bridge, photographers can be seen setting up their tripod cameras from as early as 3pm to catch the best view of the fireworks.

One of them was part-time tutor Gary Fong, who set up his tripod camera at the Jubilee Walk footpath at 3.30pm.

“These fireworks (show) from Japan was more vibrant and colourful, much better than the normal fireworks,” said the 55-year-old, who was also at the Marina Bay countdown last year.

Ms Mary Chen, 35, a tourist from Malaysia, said: “The drones were amazing, we loved the performance and the storyline.”

Earlier at the Civic District, the pets carnival attracted visitors and their pets from as early as 4pm.

One of them was retiree Jason Tan, 77, who was with his two grandchildren aged two and four and their dog. “I came here this year despite the crowd as I wanted to soak in the atmosphere and have some bonding time with my grandchildren. It has been more than 20 years since I was at the Marina Bay area for a countdown event,” he said.

The countdown celebration at Marina Bay was organised by Urban Redevelopment Authority, in collaboration with various agencies and event partners. The event was one of several countdown parties islandwide.

At Our Tampines Hub, residents and revellers were treated to an eight-minute fireworks and laser display as the clock struck twelve.

Finance analyst Grace Lim, 27, who was there with her boyfriend, said the display was better than she expected.

“We were expecting something shorter. For a heartland celebration, this was really good. We really like the atmosphere here,” Ms Lim said.

The community hub played host to some 100,000 visitors from earlier in the day, with activities such as a kids carnival and free movie screenings.

Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who is an MP for Tampines GRC, joined in the countdown festivities there, along with fellow GRC MPs Desmond Choo, Baey Yam Keng and Cheng Li Hui.

In a speech before the countdown, Mr Heng said Our Tampines Hub has attracted 43 million visitors making use of facilities, such as a library and swimming pool, since it opened its doors in August 2017.

“For me, something special in 2019 was how Tampines residents have been coming together in Our Tampines Hub…We look forward to seeing more of you more often,” he said.

Housewife Alkita Dhumal, 30, who was there with her husband and two daughters, said she preferred going for the festivities in the heartlands as Marina Bay can get crowded.

“If we are late to Marina Bay and don’t get a good position, we can’t really see anything, especially the fireworks,” she said. The last time her family attended a countdown at Marina Bay was in 2012.

Over in the north-eastern region, some 4,000 residents turned up at Harmony Square 2@Punggol East to usher in the new year together, complete with a firework display and with Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP Ng Chee Meng and Punggol East MP Charles Chong in attendance.

Fireworks also lit up the Yishun-Khatib area, with some 10,000 revellers gathering at MPC@Khatib, a multi-purpose court area near Khatib MRT station.

Back at Marina Bay, a team of 250 cleaners and more than 150 National Environment Agency’s litter-free ambassadors went around the Marina Bay and Civic District to clean up the area after the countdown party.

Undergraduate Jasmine Lim, 20, who was spotted picking up her own trash as she was leaving Marina Bay, said: “We should all try to pick up our own trash to reduce the workload of the cleaners, especially given the scale of this event. That will definitely make 2020 a better start for everyone.”

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