COMMUNITY

Your backstage pass to NDP 2026

06 Aug 2026

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of NDP? We take a peek behind the curtain to uncover the hard work that this year’s performers have put in since rehearsals began months ago.

Story by Lee Kah Kit

Photos by PIONEER photographers, Tedd Jong & courtesy of NDP 2026 Exco

Polished military drills and marching. High energy dance moves, giant props and a dazzling musical extravaganza.

While audiences are wowed by the dynamic performances on stage, bringing the National Day Parade (NDP) to life takes months of preparation and countless hours of dedication behind the scenes.

Here's a look at the people who have worked tirelessly to make Singapore's biggest birthday celebration possible.

Parade Commander Military Expert (ME) 6 Caleb Chia Yeow Kwang (front, centre) has been hard at work with the marching contingents perfecting the Parade and Ceremony segment.
In support of the Presidential Gun Salute, soldiers from 23rd Battalion, Singapore Artillery carefully manoeuver the 25-pounder guns into position within the confined space on board the M3G raft.
The State Flag Flypast may be just a few short minutes for audiences during the parade. But for the flag party, their work continues late into the night as they de-rig the flags for transport back to Sembawang Air Base.
The Colours Party have spent long hours marching and mastering their drills, in preparation for the big day on 9 Aug.
After the “Feu de Joie” – in which the Guard of Honour contingents fire a synchronised celebratory rifle salute – this group of behind-the-scenes heroes swiftly pick up all the blank cartridges left on the floor.
They might be jumping and busting out sick dance moves on stage, but it takes lots of stamina for the Full-time National Servicemen within these air-tight suits to maintain high levels of energy and hype up the audience!
Mr Kwek Qing Wei, a senior programme manager in Defence Science and Technology Agency, is part of the team managing the first-ever indoor drone show at NDP. The team works hard behind the scenes to overcome technical challenges and ensure all 300 drones fly in perfect sync with the music and singer Jasmine Sokko’s aerial performance.
After months of rehearsals, student performers from all over Singapore are ready to showcase their dance moves at the National Stadium.
This year’s Parade and Ceremony features more than 1,200 civilian participants, who have been sweating it out in rehearsals for months before the parade on 9 Aug.
These inflatable dugongs might look cute and cuddly, but beneath them (literally!) are performers manually controlling the “sea-pup” and running️ around the stadium during the show.
Singer Jasmine Sokko makes flying through the air look effortless, but her stunning aerial performance is the culmination of months of aero-acrobatics practice.
Love the vibrant lineup of floats during the Show? Behind each float is a team that has to troubleshoot and fix any issues that occur during the rehearsals.
A selfie to remember: Veteran NDP hosts Gurmit Singh (far right) and Joakim Gomez (centre) are joined by first-time hosts (clockwise from left) Udaya Soundari, Hafidz Rahman and Xixi Lim.
Tags:
NDP NDP 2026 National Day Behind the scenes 23 SA
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