Have your selfie a merry little Christmas

Tourists, couples both young and old, groups of friends - everyone was at it.

Since last week, Orchard Road has been turned into selfie land.

On Saturday, President Tony Tan Keng Yam officially switched on the Christmas light-up of Singapore's famous shopping street.

The displays stretch over 2.88km starting from Tanglin Mall to Plaza Singapura.

Some highlights include a 7m-tall rotating Christmas tree outside Robinsons The Heeren and a golden arch just outside Ion Orchard.

The annual light-up, which will come on every day at 6.30pm till Jan 1, is a major draw for tourists and locals alike.

While there were photography enthusiasts out with their cameras on tripods, most people were using their mobile phones to take selfies, with the decorations and lights in the background.

Many stopped in the middle of the road when the traffic lights were in their favour to grab their picture.

Indonesian tourist Yurisca, 25, got down low outside Wisma Atria to take a shot for her family back home.

FIRST TIME

"My friends who had been to Singapore showed us pictures of the Christmas lights on Orchard Road before and I've always wanted to see it for myself," she said.

Another Indonesian tourist, Madam Irwanti, 59, said it was her first time seeing the light-up.

"So nice, we don't see things like that back home," she said.

Undergraduate Joyce Chua, who was with a group of five friends taking pictures with a selfie stick, said she had been to every light-up for the last five years.

"We'll always have dinner together in Orchard Road then walk from Ion to Centrepoint," she said.

This article was first published on November 17, 2014.
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