Orchard Road Christmas lights herald festive season

As night fell on Orchard Road, the country's shopping belt once again transformed into a festive wonderland with its yearly display of Christmas lights.

- Syarafana Shafeeq

In a decades-long annual tradition that has been a herald of the holiday season, the lights officially came on in a launch on Nov 9, officiated this year by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli.

Families and friends took photos in front of glittering arches and a 14m-tall Christmas tree at the Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza, the tallest on the shopping street this year.

The Christmas On A Great Street light-up, which stretches for 3.1km, will be turned on nightly at 6.30pm until Jan 1.

This year's festivities are expected to draw between four million and five million visitors, on a par with pre-pandemic levels, Orchard Road Business Association chairman Mark Shaw said on Oct 23 at a media conference.