For Singaporean Debbie Ong, the opportunity to attend the National Day Parade (NDP) in person for the first time was worth a 2,500km flight home from Hong Kong.
The 50-year-old and her husband, Thomas Richoux, have been balloting for tickets every year since moving overseas 16 years ago.
When they finally secured a pair for NDP 2026, they booked their flights back to Singapore "without a second thought".
Back in Hong Kong, the couple would host National Day gatherings for Singaporean and non-Singaporean friends, serving local dishes such as popiah and curry chicken while watching the parade live on television.
"We're really happy. Really, really happy. It's a nice feeling to be able to finally see it in person," said Ong.
The couple's long-awaited, first NDP experience mirrors a parade that will be marked by a host of firsts.
Held at the National Stadium for the first time since 2016, this year's edition features a string of milestones, from the world's largest closed-roof indoor drone light show to the first participation of a contingent representing persons with diverse abilities.
The audience will be treated to 300 drones flying inside the stadium in synchrony, with the drones performing in synchrony alongside electronic music artist Jasmine Sokko and two aerialists suspended 30m above the stadium floor.
The indoor drone light show will be part of Chapter 5: Go Beyond Our Limits, where Sokko will perform her NDP single You'll Be Okay.
NDP 2026 will feature more than 170 special effects machines — more than double the scale of previous NDPs — alongside the largest deployment of moving lights and lasers in the parade’s history, with over 1,600 moving lights and about 50 lasers.
This year’s parade will also see the largest civilian participation in the parade and ceremony segment in more than a decade.
The 32 contingents taking part in Chapter 2 will feature greater representation and inclusion, with the inaugural participation of the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC), a contingent made up of persons with diverse abilities.
The contingent will be led by Paralympic sailing gold medallist Yap Qian Yin, who won gold in 2014 and 2015.
With the SDSC’s inclusion, the number of civilian participants at NDP 2026 will exceed 1,200.
Chapter 2 will feature a musical performance, alongside a display of martial skill with Martial House performers, followed by 18 thematically designed floats celebrating Singaporeans who have enriched the lives of others.
The present gives way for the past in Chapter 3, where the show reflects on Singapore's maritime heritage with a group of drummers and 700 performers from Soka Gakkai Singapore.
Singers Asnida Daud, Sushma Soma, and musical duo NADA end off the chapter with their rendition of Song for Singapore.
Diversity in culture was also a key element in NDP, with Chapter 4 highlighting how television has been a medium for defining Singaporeans since independence.
Of note, Gurmit Singh will reprise his role as Phua Chu Kang for a brief moment in the performance, while Hafidz Rahman will dance along to the popular Malay-language children's show Mat Yoyo's opening theme.
Spectators will also be treated to a new State Flag Flypast route over the Kallang Basin area.
The state flag will be carried by a Republic of Singapore Air Force CH-47 Chinook helicopter and escorted by AH-64 Apache helicopters flying in a vic-formation, which resembles a V-shape.
The Presidential Gun Salute will also be fired from a Mobility 3rd Generation military raft at the Kallang Basin for the first time.
NDP 2026 has been designated as an enhanced security special event, with the police putting in place additional security measures around the National Stadium on Aug 9.
Spectators attending the parade will undergo security screening, while drones and other prohibited items will not be allowed within the special event area.
NDP 2026 returns to the National Stadium for the first time since 2016, with 42,000 spectators expected to fill the venue.
Organisers have promised a production that combines new technology with performances reflecting Singapore’s theme of Majulah Singapura, Go Beyond!.
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