Event to kick off NHB initiative in second neighbourhood after Katong-Joo Chiat

Five months after the launch of the National Heritage Board's (NHB) first Heritage Activation Node in Katong-Joo Chiat, the board will on Sept 13 mark the start of a second node, in Clementi, with a threeday festival.

- Ng Keng Gene

Featuring cultural performances, guided tours, a skating workshop and other activities, the festival's hub will be a temporary "heritage village" in Clementi Town Centre, where exhibits, booths and a stage will be set up.

With the help of a web-based app, those who participate in the festival can also explore Clementi, which was developed in the 1970s as the Housing Board's eighth town.

Called JourneyX, the app takes users on a walking trail to 15 stops around the town, such as Clementi Sport Hall, a row of aquariums in Block 328 Clementi Avenue 2 and hawker stalls such as Fong's Dee Curry Puff.

The app was developed by students from Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP), which has been located in Clementi since 1968. As NHB's anchor partner for the new node, the poly will organise heritage programmes for the town in the coming years.

Student Synette Teh, 19, who studies Chinese media and communication, worked on the app's content for about six months with five other course mates. Three students from the polytechnic's immersive media course worked on programming from April.