NDP 2027 to be held at Padang as Singapore commemorates 60 years of National Service

Next year's National Day Parade (NDP) will return to the Padang as Singapore commemorates 60 years of National Service (NS), said Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing at the NDP 2026 appreciation event on Tuesday (Aug 25).

"The organising committee will try and plan something special for all Singaporeans, particularly for all those who have served to keep us safe all the past 60 over years," he said of next year's NDP.

During the appreciation event held at D'Marquee in Downtown East, 532 partners were presented with awards for their contributions and commitment towards this year's NDP.

This year's NDP was held at the National Stadium — 10 years since it was held there in 2016 — the first and only year the parade was held at the 55,000-seater, completed in 2014.

Chan, who is also Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister-in-charge of the Public Service, said he was "cheered" not just by the sterling performance and efforts of the organising committee and performers, but the display of Singapore's values and ethos.

He cited the willingness to try and do something different, and the strive for constant improvement and attention to details as demonstrative of such values and ethos.

"It would have been easy for the NDP organising committee to go back to the tried and tested. That would have been easy to do, but we didn't choose to do that...

"Instead, we were prepared to try new ideas, to explore new frontiers, and to see whether they would work. This spirt of being willing and daring to try new things is something invaluable."

This, Chan said, defines the spirt of NDP — the ability and willingness to try something new, the attention to details, and the constant striving of people.

"The venue will never define the experience. It is the people, the processes behind it that will define our experience," he explained.

'Dare to dream of new ideas'

Turning to the next NDP, Chan pointed out that 2027 is a "special year" for Singapore as it commemorates 60 years of National Service.

He encouraged the committee to "dare to dream" of new ideas that may not have been tried before, and put them into action, reflecting the essence of NDP.

"It's easy for us to do the tried and tested, but we want every NDP to be special. 

"We want every NDP to be able to break new ground — to show the world what we are capable of, and not just what we are used to and what we are familiar with."

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