Lighter NDP funpack not light on goodies
Less is more for this year's National Day Parade (NDP) funpack, one of the lightest in parade history.
Despite weighing a compact 1.5kg - instead of inching towards 2kg, as in previous years - it packs a punch, carrying all the goodies parade-goers will need for an unforgettable experience.
There are the interactive items, such as a mini-Singapore flag, which will do double duty as a flashing LED light, and a paper banner that serves as a handy fan as well as a clapper.
Each bag also features a commemorative NS50 keychain to mark 50 years of national service, a luggage tag, visor, poncho, water, tissues and snacks.
There is also a detachable pouch that can be swopped with another spectator's for a different colour.
CROWD FAVOURITES
And of course, there are the perennial crowd favourites such as discount coupons and temporary tattoos.
Organisers said the bags were lightened to make it easier for smartphone-toting parade-goers to snap photos during the parade, without having to juggle too many items at once.
Said deputy chairman of the NDP logistics and finance committee Ang Kian Hoe, 37: "In previous years, we realised there were a lot of interactive items.
"Now, for example, spectators can carry an LED flag in one hand and a camera phone in the other. This will make for a more convenient and immersive NDP experience."
The water-resistant funpacks, which come in red and white, are made from polyester satin. Their final designs were whittled down from a total of 60 submitted by Lasalle College of the Arts students.
A total of 150,000 bags, to be collected at distribution points, were packed for six shows between mid-June and August.
Lasalle graduate Riche Tay, 22, who spent about a month creating the winning bag design said: "We wanted to make the bags trendy... and more compact and user-friendly."
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