Chinatown to sing a celebratory tune as dazzling street decorations, nostalgic Singaporean icons and hawker food rich in taste and history trace Singapore’s journey from founding to future

SINGAPORE - MediaOutReach - 6 August 2019 - Mid-Autumn Festival and Bicentennialcelebrationscome together for a month-long extravaganza of high-octane stage performances, culturalactivities for the public to enjoy and a mouth-watering taste of Singapore'sfood heritage. Themed "BicentennialMid-Autumn Festival 2019" ( 欢庆开埠两百年花好月圆庆中秋) , experience the one-of-itskind festival that celebrates Singapore's Chinese heritage with nostalgia andanticipation.  

Bewhisked back in time with a magnificent display of installations that tracesSingapore's journey to nationhood from the year Sir Stamford Raffles set footin Singapore, to the dawn of independence, to a digital world that marksSingapore's foray into the future. Besides the main streets of Chinatown thatwill be lined with uniquely Singaporean motifs such as attap huts, Samsui women,HDB flats, Changi Airport and the iconic Singapore skyline, the bustling South BridgeRoad will be festooned with colourful ribbon-style lanterns for visitors tobask in the carnivalesque atmosphere.

Mainhighlights of the festival include a daily dose of lion dance performances for thefirst time and a trail where visitors can eat their way through 19 hawkerstalls that are mainstays in the local hawker culture with at least 30 years ofhistory each.  

TheChinatown Mid-Autumn Festival 2019 organised by the Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng Citizens'Consultative Committee (KA-KS CCC) and supported by the Singapore Tourism Boardbegins with the Official Light-Up and OpeningCeremony on 31 August 2019 which will illuminate the entire Chinatown till28 September 2019.

TheMass Lantern Walk promises to be alantern-toting, nostalgia-inducing activity where revellers will be greeted by larger-than-lifeLED mascots and characters dressed in iconic Singaporean get-ups from the fiftiesand sixties. Another event not to be missed is the Nightly Stage Shows where audience members will be treated to electrifyinglion dance performances every night for 30 minutes. Instantly recognisable Xinyao ( 新 谣 ) medleys will fill the air as singersserenade the crowd with all-time favourite songs from the eighties that have establishedthemselves as hallmarks of Singaporean music.

Forthose hungry for a taste of local cuisine, Chinatown is home to some of themost famous and historical hawker centres in town such as People's Park Food Centreand Singapore's largest hawker centre, Chinatown Complex Food Centre. Join the Heritage + Food Trail to savour popularlocal dishes such as fishball noodles with a 73-year-old recipe and visit stallshelmed by second and third-generation hawkers whose stalls originated from pushcarts in olden-day Chinatown. The oldest stall is Toh Kee Roast Meat that hasbeen serving up their signature crispy, juicy roast duck for over a hundredyears -- a cultural gem that deserves a mention in Singapore's 200^thanniversary.

Some other key highlights of this year's festivalinclude:

• LanternPainting Competition , with a NEW open category that is free for the publicto register and with cash prizes to be won
• FestiveStreet Bazaar , with over 200 street stalls selling traditional delicaciessuch as decadent mooncakes and goodies
• CuratedPhotography Opportunities along Popular Food Street and Kreta Ayer Square forvisitors to admire beautiful, life-sized lanterns up close and take part in a socialmedia photo contest

Forpast festival photos, please download from

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/p71708pnjqve5qz/AAAfmPke4GiIZPWyzlgwIknDa?dl=0

For more information on these activities, members of thepublic can call Kreta Ayer CC at +65 6222 3597 or email info@chinatownfestivals.sg

About Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng Citizens’ Consultative Committee

The Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng Citizens' ConsultativeCommittee plans, leads and coordinates community activities for the KretaAyer-Kim Seng Constituency. It channels the needs and problems of the residentsto the Government and keeps them informed of the government's actions andpolicies. It also raises funds for welfare aid to the needy, bursaries andscholarships for deserving students and other community projects.