NDP 2027 to return to the Padang as Singapore marks 60 years of National Service

The Padang has hosted the National Day Parade for major milestones from the inaugural celebration in 1966 to Singapore's 60th year of independence in 2025.

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25 Aug 2026 07:30PM (Updated: 25 Aug 2026 07:39PM)

SINGAPORE: The National Day Parade (NDP) will return to the Padang next year to commemorate 60 years of National Service (NS), Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said on Tuesday (Aug 25).

Singapore introduced NS in 1967, two years after independence, with the compulsory conscription of male youths to build up its defence force.

Mr Chan made the announcement at an NDP 2026 appreciation function to thank the organisations and people behind this year's celebrations. He said the organising committee for NDP 2027 will "try and plan something special", especially for those who have served the country over the past 60 years.

It would be easy to repeat the tried-and-tested formula at the Padang, he said. "But we want every NDP to be special. We want every NDP to be able to break new ground to show the world what we are capable of, and not just what we are used to and what we are familiar with," he said.

"It's okay for us to try. It's okay that it doesn't come out perfectly, but the fact that we dare to try and keep improving is the essence of every NDP."

The Padang was the venue for Singapore's first NDP in 1966, and has hosted the parade for milestone years since, including SG50 in 2015 and the bicentennial in 2019. 

It was also the venue for three consecutive years from 2023 to 2025, with the last two editions marking the 40th anniversary of Total Defence and Singapore's 60th year of independence respectively.

This year's NDP returned to the National Stadium after a decade, a new experience for many on the organising team, said Mr Chan. 

"We don't have many people who have organised the NDP previously in the stadium still with us in the organising team," he said.

It was a difficult event to put together as the number of spectators and participants almost doubled each week during preparations, and the stage at the National Stadium was about three times the size of the one at the Padang, he added.

"We have challenged ourselves to cut down the number of rehearsals, but to increase the number of civilian participants. So for all these reasons, this NDP was very different from previous NDPs," he said, noting that the event also highlighted members of the differently abled community.

"For this and future NDPs, the venue will never define the experience. It is the people, the processes behind that will define our experience."