The OTDYKH team launches a project #HappyBetterYear. Travel industry professionals share with our readers their latest news, travel updates & expectations as well as Christmas and New Year's

Today we head to Singapore where preparations for the festive season are in full swing

Singapore, December 09, 2020 – During Christmas and New Year festive season the streets of Singapore are especially bright with colors, splendid with lights and decor and evoking the exciting spirit of celebration.
Walk of Lights at Gardens by the Bay brought by Christmas Wonderland festival was officially opened with a 14-metre tall luminarie Christmas tree at the Golden Garden. It is the physical event that complements Virtual Christmas Wonderland’s online festivities and offers a scenic self-guided tour at Gardens by the Bay, where visitors can view stunning light installations in brand new designs. The Walk of Lights features 1,215,600 LED bulbs across all the installations and the entire assembling required 27 days of setup. Walk of Lights features nine daily sessions and visitors have to pre-book one of the 30-minute slots before arrival on www.christmaswonderland.sg. Tickets are not available for sale onsite. Groups of up to five people are allowed to visit, temperature screening is conducted at the entrance, and social distance must be observed during the walk. 
In addition to enjoying the light installations onsite, visitors can head online to Virtual Christmas Wonderland from the comfort of their home if they are missing the shopping, games, and even the ever popular opportunity to meet Santa. 

As Gardens by the Bay Chief Executive Officer Mr. Felix Loh said: “2020 has been a long and tiring year for everyone. We made the decision in July to proceed with this Christmas tradition without sight of what December would be like in the hope of spreading some cheer during the holiday season. We seek our visitors' understanding of the need for safe management measures such as the reduced capacity, timed entry and one-directional routing, but nonetheless I believe Walk of Lights with the signature Luminarie light installations will still bring much festive joy to lift our spirits.”
Another tradition of this time of year in Singapore – Christmas on a Great Street – is also continued: the famous Orchard Road is once again a real Wonderland with "Love This Christmas" celebration, a reminder that no physical distance should stop anyone from showing love to those they care about and love. Immerse in a dazzling display of lights and decorations, brightly lit snowflakes intertwined with mistletoe and hollies in white, gold and blue are strung across the sub-precincts of Somerset, Orchard and Tanglin, while Christmas ornaments and white and gold baubles hang from trees and lampposts that line the boulevard. Taking center stage is a shimmering main arch, adorned with a gigantic blue ribbon and festooned with glittering reindeer and hollies. The decorations can be seen both physically and virtually in an all-new virtual 360° tour accessible from Singapore and around the world.
This year, Singapore’s iconic countdown event, Marina Bay Singapore Countdown (MBSC) 2021, takes on a different format to bring people from all walks of life together to reflect on 2020 and to celebrate our hopes and aspirations for the coming year. Representing hopes of a new beginning, Shine a Light comprises 60 light beams illuminating the Marina Bay skyline nightly from 1 December to 31 December 2020. Arranged in a circle with a collective formation of light rays projected into the sky – designed to symbolize unity, positivity and resilience – the display represents a guiding beacon that underpins Singaporeans’ spirit in navigating through the pandemic and determination to emerge stronger in the new year as a nation.
A 3-minute animated light sequence is played every 15 minutes nightly from 20:00 to 22:30, and on December 31 at 23:45, the final light show will take place, symbolizing the countdown to the New Year 2021.