3 Ways to Weave watching NDP Fireworks into the finale of your National Day Themed Dates

Make it a National Day for YOUR history books

Photo Credit: Bao Menglong @_menglong Written by Y.S. Chia National Day is just weeks away and many couples are making plans to watch the NDP fireworks. A quick search and you’ll easily find the best places to view them with your significant other (S.O.).

That said, National Day dates could be so much more than just watching fireworks at 8pm. What if I showed you how to plan around the fireworks spectacular and make it the grand finale to a bigger date.

Here are three NDP Firework date ideas to get your grand finale moment worthy of any K-drama, Anime or Rom-Com ever.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind:

This first idea goes all out on misdirection and could play off like your typical person “forgets important occasion”.

Photo Credit: Esplanade

Your end goal is simple, bring your bae to Esplanade Roof Terrace by 5:15 pm for a view of the NDP fireworks amidst the Singapore Skyline.

The plan before 5:15 pm, however, is to keep your S.O occupied indoors so there’s this nagging thought for her or him about “will we or will we not” go see the fireworks. Whatever you do before 5:15 pm, is entirely up to you. However, for the best suspense, keep your S.O. occupied with a visit to the national gallery.

Photo Credit: Design & Architecture

My suggestion, and since it's National Day, would be to soak up some interesting historical facts about Singapore at the National Gallery.

For the artsy couples, soak up the sights of Chua Mia Tee’s: Directing the Reel and Stories In The Light as they show you Singapore from the 1950s to 1980s through paintings and photographs.

Photo Credit: National Gallery Singapore For the artsy couples, soak up the sights of Chua Mia Tee’s: Directing the Reel and Stories In The Light as they show you Singapore from the 1950s to 1980s through paintings and photographs.

Photo Credit: National Gallery Singapore

If you fancy something more practical, there’s also Listening to Architecture: The Gallery's Histories and Transformationswhich talks about how both the former City Hall and Supreme Court were merged to form the National Gallery. The best part—these are all free for Singaporeans!

Having had your fill of history, it's time to fill the stomach. You could head on down to Marina Square to buy some food and drinks for takeaway. From wallet-friendly easy eats like Subway to international fare like Rolling Rice - a Korean restaurant. You could also get yourself drinks from Chi Cha San Chen or Z Coconut!

Photo Credit: Makansutra

For more options, Makansutra - an open-air food court is also a stone’s throw away from the esplanade though it's a little bit pricey.

Bags of food in hand, you can then head over to the Esplanade’s Roof Terrace to enjoy your meal. It's not your typical sitdown picnic, but the view will be a welcome surprise, displaying the waterfront, Marina Bay Sands and of course, NDP fireworks!

Gardens with the Bae:

If you want to dine under the fireworks but don’t want to burn a hole in your wallet, your default would most likely be a picnic.

Photo Credit: Shubhankar Sharma

The endpoint for this date is a picnic at the Marina Barrage at 5:30 pm, so come prepared: picnic mat, bug spray, napkins, and maybe some local party games like Singaporean Dream and Hawker Wars. You could alternatively consider downloading a movie before coming for a “movie-in-the-park” date. This is a relatively “safer” bet that will have you walking around Gardens By the Bay until your picnic. You should be safe starting your Gardens By the Bay trip around

2 o'clock.

Photo Credit: Gardens By The Bay

When you first reach Gardens By the Bay, why not wow your S.O. with a trip to Floral Fantasy ($10 for Singaporeans). The recommended time given to this is around 1 hour.

There you can get lost in floating floral arrangements, feel zen amongst luscious greenery and fall head over heels for adorable vibrantly-coloured-but-extremely-deadly poisonous dart frogs - fun!

For a bit of a history lesson, cross the Dragonfly bridge to visit the heritage gardens!

Photo Credit: Gardens By The Bay

There your S.O. and you can learn about Singapore’s culture through the different herbs and plants in the Malay Gardens, Chinese Gardens and Indian Gardens.

That said, these Gardens are relatively small.

Photo Credit: Gardens By The Bay

Make your way to dapao for dinner later from Satay By the Bay, where you can get some aforementioned Satay from Geylang Serai Satay, Chicken Wings from BBQ Chicken Wing (yes it's called that) and other local favourites like Carrot Cake and Hokkien Mee. You can then head on over to the Marina Barrage for an early picnic. Keep in mind fireworks will be in the direction of the Singapore skyline so you know where to face them.

If you’ve got time before the big event then take things slowly and crack open your games or movie to pass the time.

Eventually, you’ll be greeted by the NDP Fireworks which serve as a backdrop for Marina Bay Sands.

Home is Where the Heart Is:

Photo Credit: Senthil Kumar Damodaran/Flickr

Sometimes you don’t need over-the-top dates, nor do you want to fight crowds in the CBD to get a glimpse at the Marina Bay action. That said, you might still want to catch the fireworks in the heartland.

Photo Credit: My Active Sg

This year’s fireworks will be going off at five heartland locations, Jurong West Stadium, Woodlands Stadium, the Open Field beside Ang Mo Kio Library, Bedok Stadium and Former Tampines Junior College.

Each area has a designated seating area if you want to be closer to the action, with doors opening at 6. Do note that these seats are on a first come first serve basis. The fireworks will go off between 8:10 - 8:25.

If you’re planning on heading to one of these places, I would suggest scouting out the place first. Unlike the city area where the best spots are common knowledge, you might need to hunt for vantage points in case where you and your S.O can’t enter the designated seating area.

Adventurous couples could start their day exploring their neighbourhood or the neighbourhoods they plan to visit to see fireworks. For a reference guide, check out NHB's heritage tours! For Ang Mo Kio & Woodlands - which don't have tours yet, you can find places through The Smart Local's Instawalks of Ang Mo Kio & Woodlands.

After which you could head home or pass the time visiting one of the neighbourhood malls conveniently located nearby the fireworks display or one MRT station away.

Photo Credit: Mercatus

Unlike the city spots, there's no guarantee you can eat meals at the designated seating area so do have your late lunch or early dinner before coming. If you’re at the mall, problem solved, you could also alternatively eat at one of your neighbourhood haunts.

Photo by: Momo Zhao

Like most Singaporeans, you're probably worried about the lack of seats and will get there by 6pm. Some of the things you could consider bringing are a mat, party games, insect repellant, drinks and perhaps traditional snacks like Ice Jewels & biscuit telinga.

Big disclaimer though, there's a high chance you’ll find yourself standing for the fireworks so if you start to see a crowd amass, it's time to get up on your feet.

A little Good Luck & a Little More Punctuality

I’ll admit, these aren’t the most spectacular dates, in fact, perhaps you could springboard some ideas from what I’ve suggested. You could also ignore this entirely too, some couples prefer to take it slow. To each their own. For those thinking of giving these ideas a try, it's important to remember that you need a little luck and to be able to keep track of the time, constantly. It may be a bit daunting, but the payoff is something for your relationship’s history books.

I don’t know how the fireworks will go off on National Day but what I do know is that even if you’re reading this, you're going the extra mile for your S.O.. While I can’t guarantee they will have a great National Day, I think it's safe to say, they’ve got a great partner. Have a great National Day!

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Looking for more date ideas? Check out our review on the National Museum of Singapore’s ON/OFF exhibit.

Have a place you want us to sus out? We’ll gladly help you. Talk to us on our email at getahonestreview@gmail.com

About the Writer: Y.S. Chia(he/him) is our 20-year-old Honest Agent who loves going on adventures - be it hiking nature trails or checking out Singapore's latest festivals. When he's not out and about, you can find him being a potato watching netflix or on the rare occasion - at the gym.