Singapore National Day Parade 2012 [Daytime - Pre-Parade Show and Parade & Ceremony] at The Float@Marina Bay

A friend and fellow compatriot commented that he took over 400 pictures during the recent national day parade - i beat him on that count with over 700 pictures!!!

Even after some "house cleaning", i am still left with too many pictures to be included in one single post! Hence, i have divided the parade into two parts for which the first one will focus solely on daytime programmes.

Note: i am not touching on every aspect of the parade; it's too daunting a task and my photo-taking skills are not great to begin with (even though i own a DSLR, auto is my favourite function).

By the way, this would be a pictorial post with minimal explanation! :)

Entrance to Helix Bridge - one of five entry points to Marina Bay Floating Platform where the national day parade would be held. Security was tight and we were checked thoroughly by the security personnel.

The grandstand which can hold 30,000 people.

I was allocated the green sector that does not have an optimal, front view of the stage. Not that i mind since i am already super happy to be attending the parade!

It felt so good to be able to walk along Helix Bridge without bumping into people! For my review on this bridge, please click here.

Even Raffles Avenue was closed to the traffic!

Collecting my fun pack! To know what is inside, please check out my post in here.

This is the famous floating platform with Singapore's central business district skyline as an iconic backdrop!

Most attendees wore red (or at least splashes of red) while the volunteers would dress up in another colour for differentiation purpose.

With cameras being so affordable nowadays, you can see a lot of shutterbugs (like me) clicking like mad!

p.s. it is about capturing the moments!

When you see a whole group of people running on to the stage, you can roughly guess that it is about time that the ceremony begins.

To catch a helicopter view of the ceremony, the skypark at Marina Bay Sands would be your best bet. Singapore Flyer would not be recommended as one rotation lasts only 30 minutes.

At this point, the hosts were telling us the items (contained within the fun pack) that would be used extensively for this year's parade. First up is the beautiful Singapore Scarf!

Then, the LED clappers which were used for both day and night time. Quality was either bad or i was too strong - one of my clappers popped (yes, like a balloon) after half an hour!

Atmosphere was incredibly good and the patriotic feeling has never been stronger!

For citizens who are undecided if they should migrate to another country, please attend the national day parade before making a decision. There's really no place like home.

Featuring the integrated precision drill by the feared military police! Not sure about the other spectators but i thought there was seriously an overuse of pyrotechnics.

Red Lions (known officially as The Singapore Armed Forces Parachute Team) performing their annual duty to celebrate Singapore's birthday!

Screaming his commands from the grandstand was this year's parade regimental sergeant major; Master Warrant Officer Tamizh Kannan. In case you could not find him in the picture, please look out for the black border.

Vessels carrying the guns for the customary 21-gun salute to the President.

March by 32 contingents comprising of military, home team, civilian, uniformed group and combined band units. They are required to be on standby while waiting for the grand arrival of Singapore's ceremonial Head of State.

My direct view - the "lian hua" or lotus of MBS. Anyway, it was around this time that Mr Lee Kwan Yew made his appearance, quashing rumours that he has already kicked the bucket. Regardless of what he did, this man has succeeded in putting Singapore on the global map at a time when no one believes he (and his team) could.

Contingents on standby.

Shortly after the arrival of the President was the singing of the national anthem, which ran together with the flying of the gigantic Singapore flag. Maybe because i am older now; the singing of our national anthem is no longer an irritating chore. In fact, it stirs up the patriotic emotion that many Singaporeans can probably relate to in recent years.

I think this is the commando unit since the red beret is the sign of their elite status. Ignore the two guys by the side wearing "Media" vests. 

The setting sun was welcome by many! 

Sea display by Singapore Navy and the Police Coast Guard to commemorate the 45 years of national service. Like many male Singaporeans, i am required to serve a minimum of two years military service; a period i found to be most enjoyable! Albeit with pathetic pay.

Commandos again! I didn't really have much choice since they were stationed the closest to the green sector. At this point, they were preparing for the marchpast.

As you could probably guess, the "lotus" was bursting at the seams! It has the nearest, most direct view of the grandstand. And it comes free! 

Contingents marching out - it is part of tradition that they salute the President on their way out. There were also aerial shows but my fingers weren't fast enough to capture a good shot! 

With that, we have come to an end to the first two programmes of the National Day Parade 2012. There is another post on the night segment (known simply as Show on the programme brochure), featuring the all-time favourite; fireworks!

To read more, click here.