Chingay: A Downtown Parade

Chingay Fireworks

Chingay is a parade held in Singapore, every year two weeks after Chinese new year. It was first implemented after the ban on fireworks went into effect in Singapore. It is an alternate way to celebrate.

So what is it? In many ways, it feels like a talent show. There are thousands of performers walking along the F1 pit lane in front of thousands of Singaporeans and tourists. Interestingly though, a lot of Singaporeans don't attend or watch it at all as it is very similar every year.

Chingay Float

The festival was a massive parade full of various dancing groups and performers. As we are at the very end of the parade all of the performers and dancers were tired as they had been performing the entire way down, so a lot of them just walked by us. At the very end of the parade we saw prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, the son of the founder of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew. The festival allows Singapore to create its own narrative and control the way a celebration happens. There's no precedent or no way other countries are doing, so it's difficult to compare this to anything. Overall, it's an interesting experience, but I don't know how I'd go again next year if I was still living in Singapore. Or I would go see it Section A where the grand stage is.

Prime Minister Lee