Christmas on A Great Street returns for its 40th year, bringing along with it festive feels and holiday fun for the year-end season. In addition to the Orchard Road Light-up, there will be three Great Christmas Villages and the first-ever Christmas Eve street party along Orchard Road.
Highlights of Christmas on A Great Street 2023
Orchard Road Light-up
This year, the Orchard Road light-up will commence from 16 November 2023.
This year’s light up is inspired by a child’s imagination and features images based on a cotton candy dreamscape.
The decorations feature Christmas trees, bells, teddy bears, reindeer and candy canes alongside a yellow, pink and turquoise clouds.
Music in the Air, played synchronously from speakers perched on 44 lamp posts on both sides of Orchard Road, will further enhance the festive atmosphere.
The Light Up Ceremony will be officiated by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at Shaw House Urban Plaza.
Organised by Orchard Road Business Association and Community Chest, the Light-Up Ceremony aims to raise funds to support more than 100 social service agencies running over 200 critical social service programmes.
“This year, we are doubling down on efforts to reduce our carbon footprint as we bring Christmas cheer to everyone. We will be repurposing past years’ LED lights and decor, and installing solar panels to harness renewable energy for two Christmas set pieces,” said Mark Shaw, Chairman of Orchard Road Business Association, the Place Manager for the Orchard Road precinct.
Mr Kojin Nakakita, Chairman of Hitachi Asia Ltd., said: “Hitachi is honoured to be the main sponsor of the Christmas Light-Up for 33 consecutive years. We are thrilled to continue with this annual tradition of spreading festive joy and cheer to all Singaporeans and tourists. In line with the spirit of Powering Good, Hitachi is committed to creating a more sustainable world through Digital, Green and Innovative solutions. With this in mind, we hope to continue to contribute responsibly to Singapore as well as the ASEAN community.”
Outdoor AR Projections
This year, there will once again be augmented reality projections displayed on the façade of Hilton Singapore Orchard as part of Christmas on A Great Street.
The projection will create an illusion of three-dimensionality, blurring the boundary between reality and illusion, as well as feature Rube Goldberg machines that set off chain reactions when various components and contraptions are activated.
An immersive 3D experience can be enjoyed by viewing them through the PopAR Live app on a mobile phone.
On Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, a countdown clock will help revellers mark the start of Christmas and the New Year.
Three Great Christmas Villages
To help spread the festive spirit, there will be three Great Christmas Villages as part of Christmas on A Great Street 2023. They will be located at Shaw House, Ngee Ann City and Plaza Singapura.
The Christmas Village at Shaw House Urban Plaza will commence from 24 November and run till 7 January 2024. It will feature a double-storey carousel and ferris wheel among its variety of rides and games.
The Plaza Singapura Christmas Village will run 1 December till 1 January and feature a giant Christmas on A Great Street-themed bouncy castle with a fun slide, a balloon dome, mascot meet-and-greet activities, and craft workshops.
Open from 8 December till 1 January, the Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza Christmas Village will have carnival games and rides such as a Euro Swing ride, an arcade as well as drinks and food trucks.
There will also be live performances by local buskers and bands like Daniel Sid, LAYYI, The Cold Cut Duo and Waymakers from Friday to Saturday evenings from 7.15 pm to 9.15 pm.
The Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza Christmas Village will also extend its opening hours till 12:30 am on Christmas Eve, as well as on New Year’s Eve.
Christmas Eve Street Party
On Christmas Eve, the stretch of Orchard Road from Paterson junction to Bideford junction will be closed to traffic from 6 pm onwards. It will be the venue for a lively street party from 8 pm to 12.30 am.
The street party will features the NCC Command Band from Swiss Cottage Secondary School, dance performances and Christmas carolling.
There will also be Santa Meet & Greet sessions, DJs, a Christmas Market, food trucks galore, and a countdown to Christmas and more.
Christmas on A Great Street 2023
Christmas on A Great Street 2023 is a chance to enjoy some time with family and friends during the year-end season. For more great ideas, visit our list of 2023 year-end activities.
