What’s heart-warming is how all are ultimately united in a common goal – to bring the joy of the festivities to the crowd, the enjoyment of friendships across all ages, ethnicity or even nationalities, and the striving for excellence
Author: Gillian Teng
To me, Chingay is a celebration of our culture, a unison of all walks of life — from the retired senior, to the youthful and energetic student in secondary school, to the enthusiastic participants volunteering their skills and showmanship, to the tired youths, being dragged to do it as part of a school programme. It unites Singaporeans, the white collared worker to the manual labourer, the polished speaker to the dialect-comfortable individual — where all come together with a common goal to celebrate our nation’s culture, ethnicity and rich heritage.
The blend of colours that dot the parade, be it through the participants’ glittering costumes, the breathtaking floats or the burst of confetti and fireworks, they are like metaphors of the various cultures and traditions that we celebrate in Singapore. Malay, Indian, Chinese, Eurasian — just as how each culture is unique and distinctive, so too, are the myriad of colours that fill the parade. They highlight the uniqueness of each culture and the treasured heritage enriching them.
To me, the Chingay parade is a toast and celebration of our cultures, our distinctiveness, our heritage.
But amidst this celebration of differences, what’s heart-warming is how all are ultimately united in a common goal — the goal to bring the joy of the festivities to the crowd, the enjoyment of friendships across all ages, ethnicity or even nationalities, and of the striving for excellence.
Personally, the return to Chingay 2026 is memorable as it will be exactly 10 years since my last participation in the parade. Just as how Singapore has grown in the past 10 years, so too, have I! I have grown and evolved considerably as an individual in the last decade. I am excited to return to Chingay with new lens this 2026 and to re-experience the parade with fresh perspectives and heart filled with the changes that have marked my life in the last decade.