SINGAPORE: The run-up to Christmas this year will see the annual festive lights on Orchard Road being switched on hours earlier in the day.
And for the first time, a European-inspired Christmas village will feature as part of the street’s annual light-up for the festive season.
In a media release on Wednesday (Oct 25), the Orchard Road Business Association (ORBA) said the Christmas village will feature a double-decker carousel, as well as stores by more than 25 brands, including Starbucks, Toast Box, PAUL and Royal Selangor.
From 8pm on Christmas Eve, local bands will perform Christmas classics, ahead of a pyrotechnics show at midnight.
The Christmas village, which will be located at Ngee Ann City’s Civic Plaza, will operate from Nov 25 to Dec 25.
Orchard Road will kick off its Christmas light-up on Nov 11, with President Halimah Yacob officiating the ceremony. This year’s decorations will span 2.88km, running from Tanglin Mall to Plaza Singapura.
The theme for this year’s Christmas light-up along Orchard Road is Endless Wonder. (Image: Orchard Road Business Association)
The Christmas lights will also be turned on earlier this year – starting from 3pm, instead of 6.30pm in previous years.
“We want visitors to enjoy the whole Endless Wonder experience in the day and the night,” said an ORBA spokesperson, adding that energy-efficient LED lights will be used.
The lights will remain on until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays, and until midnight on all other days except Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, when they will stay on until 6am the following morning.
Other highlights include the main arch between Ion Orchard and Tang Plaza. Standing at 12m this year, it is the tallest arch in the history of Christmas light-ups along Orchard Road.
Artist’s impression of a 5m tall Enchanted Tree, which will be located outside Wisma Atria. (Image: Orchard Road Business Association)
In total, 76,800 man hours were spent producing the Christmas decorations while 15,120 man hours were spent to put them up along Orchard Road, according to ORBA.
Retailers such as Haagen Dazs, Casio and SK-II will also have pop-up stores between Wisma Atria and Mandarin Gallery as part of festive celebrations, ORBA said.
The Christmas light-up along Orchard Road runs until Jan 1, 2018.
