Christmas village comeback sets Orchard Road up for renewed festive buzz, Latest Singapore News - The New Paper
Singapore

Christmas village comeback sets Orchard Road up for renewed festive buzz

This article is more than 12 months old

A Christmas village will make a comeback at this year’s Orchard Road festive light-up after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Great Christmas Village, which runs from Dec 7 to Jan 2, 2023, will be held at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza, said the Orchard Road Business Association (Orba) at a press conference on Thursday.

It will see the return of amusement rides and live festive music by local performers. Shoppers can also look forward to new additions, such as an all-white carousel and food options from Magnum and Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, VeganBurg and a beer garden.

The last Christmas village was held in 2019.

Orba chairman Mark Shaw said the association hopes that the Christmas village will draw more families to Orchard Road during the festive season this year.

This year’s light-up on a 3.1km stretch of the shopping district will begin on Nov 12, and remain for seven weeks, till Jan 2, 2023. The lights will be turned on from 6.30pm to midnight from Sundays to Thursdays, till 2am on Fridays and Saturdays, and till 6am on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

Themed “Give Thanks and Rejoice”, the Christmas on A Great Street 2022 Community Chest Light-Up Ceremony, will be officiated by President Halimah Yacob on Nov 12.

The light-up will begin at Tanglin Road with a teal and white arch. A 16m-tall main arch at the junction of Orchard and Scotts roads will feature ornate Christmas trees decorated with reindeer and baubles on each side of the road.

Along the light-up, which ends at Plaza Singapura, 171 lamp-posts will be dressed in energy-saving LED white lights to enhance the festive experience.

Mr Shaw said this year’s light-up event is very significant for businesses in Orchard Road as it marks the first Christmas when most restrictions have been lifted since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

For the first time, there will be a dual projection on the external walls of Mandarin Gallery, with the main projection facing Ngee Ann City. A secondary projection will face the Somerset area. Both displays will include augmented reality (AR) elements.

The projections, which will feature AR elements such as firework displays and a Ferris wheel, will be screened from Nov 1 to Jan 2, 2023, with a 10-minute 3D show appearing at regular intervals from 7pm to 10pm daily.

Among other initiatives, Orba said it is collaborating with e-commerce partner Shopee to set up a dedicated microsite on the Shopee app which will feature Orchard Road retailers such as Metro Singapore, Muji and Poh Heng, as well as exclusive deals for Mastercard shoppers.

Beyond the Christmas Village, shopping malls in Orchard Road are participating in a joint promotion with Mastercard during the light-up period to draw crowds and increase festive spending, said Mr Shaw.

“So we hope to get people down to Orchard Road to enjoy the lights, enjoy the food, enjoy their shopping and enjoy the experiences that we offer ,” he added.

ORCHARD ROADChristmas