Orchard Road will celebrate Christmas 2023 with an exciting lineup of activities, marking key milestones and aiming to attract millions of visitors.
Orchard Road is set to host an expanded Christmas celebration this year with the launch of its first-ever Christmas Eve street party and the introduction of three Great Christmas Villages, aimed at drawing in both locals and tourists.
The iconic Christmas on A Great Street event, marking its 40th anniversary this year, will include an extended program of festive activities to celebrate the holiday season. This event will also coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Orchard Road Business Association (Orba).
The festivities will kick off with a Light-Up Ceremony on November 16, officiated by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at Shaw House Urban Plaza. This year’s event is expected to attract a significant crowd, with Orba chairman Mark Shaw aiming for five to six million visitors, similar to pre-pandemic numbers.
The Christmas Eve street party will span from Paterson Junction to Bideford Junction, where traffic will be closed from 6 PM onwards. The event will run from 8 PM to 12:30 AM and will feature performances, Christmas carols, food trucks, and a market, along with a countdown to Christmas. The event is a one-time occurrence in 2023, with extensive crowd control and security measures in place.
This year will also see the addition of three Christmas Villages—a significant expansion from the single village in 2022. These villages, located at Shaw House, Ngee Ann City, and Plaza Singapura, will offer carnival rides, games, pop-up stores, and food and beverage stalls. The Shaw House village will open on November 24, featuring a double-storey carousel and ferris wheel, while the other two villages will open on December 1 and December 8, respectively.
The light-up theme this year aims to captivate visitors with a cotton candy cloud dreamscape, featuring Christmas trees, bells, teddy bears, reindeer, and candy canes. The warm LED lights in shades of white, yellow, pink, and turquoise will create a magical atmosphere.
In addition to the spectacular lights, an augmented reality (AR) projection will be displayed on the facade of the Hilton Singapore Orchard, and all 25 glass panels along Orchard Road will feature AR displays. These projections will run from November 1 to January 1, 2024.
The event will also focus on sustainability, with efforts to reduce its carbon footprint through energy-efficient LED lights, the use of solar panels, and a partnership with the National Parks Board’s Plant-A-Tree Programme, which aims to plant 100 new trees along Orchard Road and across Singapore.
The Singapore Tourism Board is also collaborating with private and public entities to rejuvenate Orchard Road, enhancing its appeal as a must-visit destination.
