Food culture to take centre stage at Chingay as Singapore lines up Unesco bid


Chingay performers (from left) Hetal Tushar Somaiya, Carlo Gozon and Sun Ya Nan during the preview parade at Bayfront MRT on Jan 19, 2025. - Photo: ST

SINGAPORE: The Chingay parade in Singapore will take to the stage and the streets as the Republic and Malaysia prepare to submit a joint bid nominating the annual street event for Unesco’s intangible cultural heritage list.

The main parade, which will take place at the F1 Pit Building on Feb 7 and 8, involves more than 4,000 performers and a record 23 floats, as well as a four-level performance stage and a PAssionArts Street showcasing art installations co-created by residents, students and community artists.

Organised yearly by the People’s Association (PA), Chingay Parade is themed “Joy” in 2025 and will feature elements of Singapore’s favourite food dishes – a nod to Singapore’s hawker culture that was in 2020 successfully listed as the nation’s first entry on Unesco’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

On Sunday (Jan 19), performers in full costume gave members of the public a preview of the 2025 parade at Orchard, City Hall and Bayfront MRT stations.

Performers dressed as Cai Shen Ye (God of Wealth) and food-themed outfits such as a dumpling attracted large crowds along the station walkways.

For performer Sun Ya Nan, 28, who donned a hotpot-inspired dress depicting salmon during the preview, the parade will cap of gruelling preparations since August.

“It’s a big year for Chingay, with SG60 and trying for Unesco. I hope more people will learn about Singapore’s food and culture and its multi-ethnicity,” said Sun, an interior designer and part-time dance instructor.

Another performer at the preview was Carlo Gozon, 28, who is back for his fifth Chingay parade – he wore an outfit inspired by Eurasian dishes, including curry debal.

Gozon, who works in real estate, said: “The parade is so memorable, because we see so many people of all cultures coming together.

“I’m in the Eurasian Association, and even so, there are people of all races in this team.”

What to expect

The Chingay parade every year involves students, volunteers and community artists. With roots in religious festivals devoted to Taoist deities, it is known for its brightly lit, colourful floats and musical and dance numbers.

This year, the main show on Feb 7 and 8 will take place at the F1 Pit Building, with a multi-coloured four-level stage designed to give audiences in all sectors of the venue a clear view of the performances, organisers from the PA said in a statement on Jan 18.

Measuring 26m high and 90m wide, the stage comprises 76 sections for performers and is decorated with giant inflatables featuring familiar delicacies and iconic Singapore imagery.

The Chingay floats, assembled by community groups and major organisations like POSB and the Tote Board Group, will also be a feast for the eyes – they were inspired by popular local foods and snacks, including nasi lemak, thosai, curry debal and steamboat.

Roughly 20,000 spectators across both nights will watch multiple acts, culminating in a finale involving more than 2,000 performers and an SG60-themed float, commemorating Singapore’s 60th year of independence.

Tickets for the main parade have been sold out.

A live-recording of the show will be screened on the Chingay Parade Facebook page (@Chingayparadesg) and on television on Feb 16 and Feb 23.

The festivities will also go out to eight neighbourhoods across the island between Feb 9 and March 2, with performers and Chingay art installations hitting the streets.

Unesco bid

The massive effort comes as Singapore and Malaysia prepare to submit a joint nomination in March to put Chingay on the Unesco list, which raises awareness of significant heritage and cultures around the world and seeks to protect them.

The National Heritage Board (NHB) and PA will be working with Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and Department of National Heritage on the nomination, which commemorates the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations between the two countries, said PA.

The result of the nomination is expected in end-2026 at the earliest.

If it is successful, Chingay would be recognised by Unesco alongside renowned global cultural events like China’s Dragon Boat Festival and Japan’s Kabuki Theatre performances.

Chingay 2025 chairman Kia Siang Wei said: “Chingay Parade has always been a vibrant celebration of multiculturalism and shared experiences that define Singapore.”

Kia, who oversees partnerships as a PA group director, said: “With the theme ‘Joy’, Chingay 2025 showcases the diversity of the community coming together to celebrate their passions.”

Excited about Unesco nomination

On Jan 19, during the Chingay preview, Christopher Dhanaraj, 44, and his six-year-old daughter Ava were among those who stopped for pictures in Orchard with the Chingay performers.

Dhanaraj, who works in finance, said Singapore’s bid for Unesco recognition is significant as there are only so many ways a little country can get on such a list.

“We should try,” he said. “The festival emphasises Singapore’s multiculturalism. And that’s certainly something special to celebrate.”

Polytechnic student Lauren Lim, 16, who stopped by the showcase in Orchard Road to support her sister who is performing this year, said of the Unesco bid: “It’s a big deal for a small country like us and will help garner attention worldwide.”

“It would be a big deal for tourism too and bring more attention to Singapore’s history and culture.”

Former police officer Tang Kian Chong, 79, said he hopes Singapore will be successful in its bid so that more people, especially visitors, will remember Singapore for its multiculturalism.

He said in Mandarin: “People will know this is what makes Singapore special. It’s a place with many cultures and everyone is welcome.”

Correction note: An earlier version of the story said that 5,000 spectators will watch the Chingay parade. The organisers have clarified that an estimated 20,000 spectators will watch the show live across both nights of the parade. - The Straits Times/ANN

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