ABOUT MBC
 
Event Trivia & FAQ
DO YOU KNOW …

  1. The Marina Bay SINGAPORE Countdown is the biggest New Year’s Eve celebration event in Singapore.

    Last year, some 250,000 Singaporeans and visitors from all over the world gathered around the Marina Bay waterfront to count down to 2009.

  2. What is the winning formula for the Marina Bay SINGAPORE Countdown that makes it Singapore’s favourite countdown event?

    This unique countdown event is the only event in Singapore which combines the elements of wishes, light, sound and water set against a stunning city skyline in celebration of hope for the New Year.

    Since its conceptualisation in 2005, the Marina Bay SINGAPORE Countdown has been an annual tradition which Singaporeans and the community living in Singapore can be proud to call our own.


  3. A new musical score is composed every year especially for the magnificent fireworks display.

    Every year, the fireworks display is specially choreographed to newly commissioned music that echoes the community’s journey and experiences of the past year.

    This year’s display and music reflect the exuberance of life, encouraging everyone to take on the challenges in the year ahead positively.

    The music is composed by Cultural Medallion winner, musician and composer Mr Iskandar Ismail, and performed by Qian Zhou (violin), Sunny Wong Sun Tat (erhu), Yu Jia (pipa), Tan Chye Tiong (shakuhashi flute & bandi), and Ong Yihong (gaoyin sheng).


  4. Every single wish made is floated on the waters of Marina Bay.

    The Wishing Sphere Project is a significant component of the Marina Bay SINGAPORE Countdown. Members of the community are all invited to join in the project by penning their wish for the New Year on a wishing sphere. Each wishing sphere represents a hope, a belief that the New Year will bring new possibilities and the promise of a brighter tomorrow.

    We will mark your wish by floating the wishing spheres onto the waters of Marina Bay, our bay of hope and light. To meet the growing demand for wishing spheres as more people come onboard this meaningful annual tradition, we have doubled the number of wishing spheres to 20,000 spheres this year!


  5. Who are the parties behind the Marina Bay SINGAPORE Countdown?

    The Marina Bay SINGAPORE Countdown is co-presented by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), the development agency for Marina Bay, with the support of our sponsors, government agency partners and the Marina Bay community.

    Our dream for the Marina Bay SINGAPORE Countdown is for Singapore’s iconic New Year’s Eve countdown to rank alongside all the other major cities’ countdown celebrations. By being part of this event – be it penning a wish or coming down to Marina Bay to celebrate the New Year with your loved ones, you play a significant role in realising this dream.

    Signature events like the Marina Bay SINGAPORE Countdown seek to raise the profile of Marina Bay both locally and internationally, defining Marina Bay as the new business district and the centrepiece of our city’s future development efforts, where communities can gather to Explore, Exchange and Entertain.


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  1. What is the Marina Bay SINGAPORE Countdown all about?

    Started in 2005, the Marina Bay SINGAPORE Countdown is a contemplative celebration that bringspeople from all walks of life together and aims to connect them through a collective expression of theirwishes for the year ahead. Wishes are written on white wishing spheres and lit as part of a visual artspresentation in Marina Bay. Jointly presented by Esplanade and the Urban Redevelopment Authority(URA), the development agency for Marina Bay, the event hopes to create a New Year’s Eve tradition, which is unique to Singapore and offers an opportunity for the community to bond in a meaningful way.

    Not forgetting friends and family members who are overseas, a dedicated website has been created to enable overseas Singaporeans and friends of Singapore to ‘virtually’ be part of this meaningfulcelebration. By logging on to www.marina-bay.sg/countdown, they can submit their wishes online in theform of photographs, short video clips or plain text, and even catch the fireworks display via a livewebcast on the event website.


  2. Will people still be able to make video dedications this year?

    No, we will not be featuring video dedications at the Countdown this year. Instead, a new docu-drama –specially commissioned for the countdown – will feature inspiring messages of hope from individuals andgroups who have touched the lives of many in the past year. Titled Reaching Out & Inspiring Lives, the20-minute video which is split into three separate segments, is produced by Zhaowei Films and directedby local film-maker Eric Khoo and Brian Gothong Tan. Snippets of the video will be broadcast onMediacorp TV5 on the days leading up to the Countdown and the full video

    Venue : Projection screens on Esplanade Waterfront
    Time : 7.45pm – 8pm
    8.45pm – 9pm
    9.45pm – 10pm
    10.45pm – 11pm

    Venue : Plasma screens at Esplanade Basement 1
    Time : 7pm – 1am


  3. Who are the personalities featured in the docu-drama?

    The personalities featured in Reaching Out & Inspiring Lives are:

    1. Hassan, Head of Mercy Relief, the organisation which has given aid to victims of earthquakes, floodsand other natural disasters around the world;

    2. Helen, one of the top graduating students from Northlight School who grew up in a slum in Cambodiaand was adopted by a Singaporean couple just four years ago;

    3. Singapore’s first all-women team that successfully summit Mount Everest in May 2009;

    4. Angela Liong, Cultural Medallion winner 2009 and Artistic Director of local dance company ArtsFission;

    5. The three recipients of the President’s Award for Nurses 2009 – Mrs Lee Siu Yin, Director of Nursing, National University Hospital, Ms Sylvia Lee Ling Ling, Advanced Practice Nurse (APN), Dover ParkHospice and Ms Lim Siok Hong, Senior Nurse Clinician, K K Women’s and Children’s Hospital – who have demonstrated excellent service and made significant contributions to the nursing profession andthe community at large

    6. James and Lynn who run Lianain Films, which specialises in independent theatrical documentarieswith a strong focus on social issues;

    7. and Madam Thiravingadam Sembugavalie who is a mother of eight children and over the years hasfostered 40 others.



  4. Can anyone pen their wishes on the wishing spheres?

    Yes, everyone is invited to pen their wishes on the wishing spheres. This year, there will be 17 wishingstations located at Esplanade, Citylink Mall, Suntec, Marina Square, Millenia Walk, Parkway Parade, Raffles City, IMM, and eight libraries located all over the island – Bedok Public Library, Jurong RegionalLibrary, Toa Payoh Public Library, Woodlands Regional Library, Ang Mo Kio Public Library, Jurong West Public Library, Central Public Library and Tampines Regional Library. Members of the public can pentheir wishes on the wishing spheres at these locations from the following dates and times:

    Wishing Stations @ Esplanade
    Date : 27 Nov – 20 Dec 2009
    Time : 5pm – 9.30pm daily
    Venues : Esplanade Concourse and e-pod (near the Outdoor Theatre)


    Wishing Station @ Marina Square
    Date : 4 – 20 Dec 2009
    Time : 10am – 10pm daily
    Venue : Marina Square, Market Street Promo Space at Level 2


    Wishing Station @ Raffles City
    Date : 4 – 20 Dec 2009
    Time : 10am – 10pm daily
    Venue : Raffles City, Level 3 (near Harvey Norman)


    Wishing Station @ Millenia Walk
    Date : 4 – 20 Dec 2009
    Time : 10am – 10pm daily
    Venue : Millenia Walk, Level 1 (in front of service desk)


    Wishing Station @ Suntec City
    Date : 4 – 20 Dec 2009
    Time : 10am – 10pm daily
    Venue : B1, Fountain Terrace opposite Siam Restaurant


    Wishing Station @ Citylink Mall
    Date : 4 – 20 Dec 2009
    Time : 10am – 10pm daily
    Venue : Citylink Mall (opposite TCC)


    Wishing Station @ Parkway Parade
    Date : 8 – 20 Dec 2009
    Time : 11am – 10pm daily (except 20 Dec, 11am – 10.30pm)
    Venue : Parkway Parade, Level 1 (near the taxi stand)


    Wishing Station @ IMM
    Date : 4 – 20 Dec 2009
    Time : 10am – 10pm daily
    Venue : L3, Near Garden Plaza


    Wishing Station @ Singapore Visitor’s Centre @ Orchard Road
    Date : 4 – 20 Dec 2009
    Time : 9.30am – 10.30pm, daily
    Venue : Wishing Station @ Singapore Visitor’s Centre @ Orchard Road


    Wishing Stations @ Libraries
    Date : 20 Nov – 20 Dec 2009
    Time : Daily 10am – 9pm
    Venue : Ang Mo Kio Public Library
    Bedok Public Library
    Central Public Library
    Jurong Regional Library
    Jurong West Public Library
    Tampines Regional Library
    Toa Payoh Public Library
    Woodlands Regional Library


    In addition to this, from 1 – 23 December (Mon – Fri), children aged 6 – 8 years are invited to attend a funand exciting hands-on school holiday programme Wishes presented by the Public Libraries as part of theMarina Bay SINGAPORE Countdown 09/10. Activities in each session include storytelling and art-and-craft, based on the theme of WISHES. After each session all participants will be invited to make theirwishes for the New Year on wishing spheres which will be part of the visual arts installation on the Bay.

    This will take place at the following libraries:

    Ang Mo Kio Public Library Jurong West Public Library
    Bedok Public Library Marine Parade Public Library
    Bishan Public Library Pasir Ris Public Library
    Bukit Batok Public Library Queenstown Public Library
    Bukit Merah Public Library Sembawang Public Library
    Central Public Library Sengkang Public Library
    Cheng San Public Library Tampines Regional Library
    Choa Chu Kang Public Library Toa Payoh Public Library
    Geylang East Public Library Woodlands Regional Library
    Jurong Regional Library Yishun Public Library


    For a full schedule of the School Holiday Special sessions and registration details, please log on to www.pl.sg.


  5. What are the wishing spheres made of?

    The spheres are made of plastic.


  6. Are the wishing spheres bio-degradable?

    No, the spheres are non-biodegradable


  7. How many wishing spheres will there be this year?

    When the event first began in 2005, there were 2,500 spheres, this grew to 5,000 spheres in 2006 and2007, and 10,000 in 2008. This year, there will be 20,000 spheres set afloat which will be part of the visual arts installation on the Bay, the most the event has seen.


  8. How are the wishing spheres installed in the water?

    The wishing spheres are individually attached to weights with ropes before they are dropped into the bayin clusters. The spheres are deployed by zones into previously determined areas marked out by buoymarkers. Due to the labour-intensive nature of this installation process, the manpower involved and theincreased number of spheres this year, installation has begun since mid-November and is targeted to becompleted by 25 December.


  9. How are the wishing spheres removed from the water?

    After the event is over on 1 January, the wishing spheres are individually removed by cutting away thespheres from the ropes to remove the weights. The spheres are deflated on the spot and are broughtback to Esplanade. All installation materials are completely removed from the reservoir.


  10. What happens to the wishing spheres after the countdown

    The wishing spheres will be sent to a recycling plant overseas where they will be reprocessed into rawmaterials that can be recycled into new products.


  11. What will the spheres be recycled into?

    The exact end products produced depend on the manufacturers and cannot be determined at this stage.


  12. The practice of using permanent marker pens to write on the spheres and releasing them intothe water does not seem to be environmentally friendly, how are you addressing this concern?

    The permanent markers used for signing on the wishing spheres in the bay are non-toxic and free of chemicals like xylene or toluene which are components of most permanent markers but not the ones which are used for the event. This ensures that the ink in the markers do not affect marine life or thewater. All materials that go into the Marina Reservoir have to be approved by the Public Utilities Board (PUB) which has a very strict set of regulations. The materials of the spheres including the ink used to write on them have been approved by PUB.


  13. How long does it take for all the wishing spheres to be removed from the water?

    All the wishing spheres will be cleared by 10 January 2010.


  14. What other programmes can one expect on 31 December ?

    For the first time as part of the Marina Bay SINGAPORE Countdown, roving artists will be performing atthe Esplanade Park from 5pm – 7pm to engage and entertain members of public before the countdown. The free performances and activities include swinging samba and throbbing batucada beats by the 25-member percussion group Bloco Singapura; lighthearted skits and improvised miming by The Mimes;magic acts by Kiki Tay, as well as caricature drawing by Kamal Dollah.

    From 7pm – 1am, an array of inspirational and heart-warming programmes will also be presented under Esplanade’s annual series Celebrate December. Catch rousing performances by local artists DaphneKhoo, Ngak & Clement, Jack & Rai, and 53A at the Outdoor Theatre and be inspired by Letters Home, where letters written by Singaporeans expressing heartfelt thoughts of home will be read out at theConcourse from 6.45pm – 9.45pm.


  15. When is the countdown?

    The countdown begins one minute before midnight on 31 December and the fireworks and fireworksmusic which usher in the New Year will last for eight minutes.


 
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