Singapore turned 61 on Sunday 9 August 2026, and NDP 2026 delivered: back at the National Stadium for the first time in a decade, 42,000 spectators, a first indoor drone show with more than 300 drones, and the Presidential Gun Salute fired from Kallang Basin. The parade is done, and so is most of the SG61 deal wave. KFC's Curry x Sambal range ended 18 August, Tim Ho Wan and York Hotel's White Rose Cafe both finished on 31 August, and Swensen's SG61 menu, the last one standing, ran to 9 September. What does not expire is the answer people keep searching for: NDP tickets are free. They are balloted, never sold, never legitimately resold, and you do not pick your seat. Here is how the ballot and the seating actually work, the NDP 2026 recap, and what NDP 2027 at the Padang on Monday 9 August 2027 (SG62) does to your odds.
Singapore turned 61 on Sunday 9 August 2026, and the parade is done. What people keep searching for is not: NDP tickets are free, and here is how the ballot, the seating and the now closed-out SG61 deals actually stand.
> Quick view: NDP tickets are free, by ballot at ndp.gov.sg, seats allocated not chosen · NDP 2027: Mon 9 Aug 2027 (SG62), at the Padang for NS60, about 27,000 seats vs 42,000 in 2026 · SG61 deal wave now closed: Swensen's, the last one, ran to 9 Sep.
The most-asked question about NDP has a one-word answer: nothing. NDP tickets are free. There is no ticket price, no paid tier and no public VIP package. Tickets are distributed by a free public ballot at ndp.gov.sg, and successful applicants collect them at no charge. They are non-transferable and explicitly not for resale, so any Carousell, Telegram or ticketing-site listing selling NDP tickets is either a scam or a terms breach that can void the ticket at the gate. For NDP 2026 the ballot ran 23 May to 6 June, results went out 15 to 17 June by SMS and email, and collection was 3 to 5 July. There is never a second ballot. If you want in for 2027, watch ndp.gov.sg from around May, because the application is the only cost.
If you hold an NDP ticket and want to know where you'll end up: you don't choose. The ballot assigns both category and seat, tickets are non-transferable, and there is no seat selection, no upgrade path and no legitimate resale market. There is also no free seating at NDP, because every ticket in the bowl is a numbered seat. What the National Stadium changed in 2026 is that the experience was far more even than the Padang. It was a fully covered, fully seated bowl of around 42,000, roughly 15,000 more than the Padang's 27,000, so there was no standing pen, no restricted-view field position, and no washout if it poured. Because the drone show was staged indoors above the field rather than out over the water, it read well from right around the bowl instead of favouring one side. The trade-off ran the other way for fireworks, which were fired outside from Kallang Basin, so ticket holders saw them through the roof aperture. That is why some locals rate the free riverside spots higher for fireworks specifically. All of this resets in 2027: the Padang is open air and smaller, so the roof advantage disappears and ponchos go back in the bag. Gate timings, bag rules and NDP Pack contents are published per show on ndp.gov.sg. A nice touch in 2026: the NDP Pack artwork was created by artists with disabilities.
The showpiece landed: NDP's first indoor drone show, with more than 300 drones performing under the stadium's closed roof alongside aerial performers, projections and special effects, the largest indoor special-effects staging in NDP history. Around 42,000 spectators filled the bowl, with thousands more watching the fireworks free from around Kallang Basin. In another first, the Presidential Gun Salute was fired from Kallang Basin, bringing the 21-gun tradition closer to the public, and the parade featured the largest civilian participation segment in more than a decade plus a first inclusive contingent of persons with disabilities. Three original songs debuted: 'Giants' by Iman Fandi, 'Sparkle' by Gareth Fernandez and Dru Chen, and 'You'll Be Okay' by Jasmine Sokko. Fireworks ran during the final act, synchronised to the NDP songs. For how the fireworks and rehearsal nights are scheduled each season, and the free viewing spots that work every year, see our NDP fireworks and rehearsal schedule guide.
This was the last deal on this page still standing, and its run is now over. Swensen's SG61 National Day menu ran 9 July to 9 September 2026 at outlets islandwide, for dine-in and takeaway, and it was a proper local-flavours line-up rather than a badge on the usual menu: an 11-inch Singapore Laksa Pizza with prawns, fish cake, tau pok, egg and laksa leaves at $18.61; Jumbo Blue Prawn Hokkien Mee, wok-fried yellow noodles and bee hoon in seafood broth with a whole jumbo blue prawn, char-grilled chicken, squid and fish cake, also $18.61; the Shiok Fish Burger in brioche with mesclun and fries at $16.61; Chilli Crab Soup with Mantou made with real crab meat and two mantou for dipping at $11.61; a Muah Chee Waffle with ice cream and peanut powder at $10.61; and a MILO Bandung at $5. The value pick was the $61 SG61 Family Set, dine-in only and built for three: a Shiok Fish Burger, two mains chosen from Fish Baked Rice, Chicken Baked Rice, Black Pepper Seafood Pasta or Spaghettoni Carbonara, three MILO Bandungs and a Muah Chee Waffle. Ordering those six items separately ran past $70, so the set was the one to ask for. Rechecked on 9 September 2026: Swensen's standalone SG61 page is still up, but it carries no prices and no dates and describes the range only as available for a limited time period, while the range has come off both the homepage and the promotions index and none of the six dishes appear on the standing menu. Treat it as finished. If the laksa was the draw, the everyday menu keeps a Dry Laksa Linguine with two king prawns, tau pok and fish cake at $16.90.
The other three deals we tracked closed in August, so do not turn up expecting them. KFC's Curry x Sambal range, the prata-bun Curry x Sambal Zinger, the Curry x Sambal Chicken set and the late-night supper menu, ran 8 July to 18 August and is gone, along with the $6.50 Zinger Set that ran 11 to 13 August. Tim Ho Wan's 'SG61 Flavours of Singapore' dim sum menu ran 21 July to 31 August across its Singapore outlets, so the $9.50 bak chor rice rolls, $7.90 laksa seafood dumplings and orh nee sesame balls came off the menu at the end of August. York Hotel White Rose Cafe's National Day sets ran 1 to 31 August: a three-course National Day Heritage Set at $61 for two, 11am to 11pm with last order at 10.30pm and 10% off for UOB cardmembers, a D-I-Y Hokkien Popiah Set at $61 for 12 rolls, and kids aged 11 and under eating free for every two mains ordered. The popiah one is worth knowing about even now, because the promo was the more expensive option. That $61 was before 10% service charge and 9% GST, so about $73.15, while the same 12-roll D-I-Y Hokkien Popiah Set sits on White Rose Cafe's standing menu at $65 net all year, with a 6-roll set at $35 net, available daily 12pm to 8pm for dine-in or takeaway on three days' notice. The everyday price beat the National Day price.
The SG61 promo wave was too big for one page: $0.61-style birthday pricing, 1-for-1 buffets, $61 sets, retail sales and mall activations. We split it across dedicated guides, each kept up to date on its own schedule, so those are the pages to check for what is still running now that the SG61 menus have closed: National Day food deals (SG61) for dining and 1-for-1 buffets, SG61 deals for meat lovers for wagyu and yakiniku, SG61 $0.61 and salted-egg specials for the birthday-priced ones, National Day sales for retail and 8.8, and National Day staycation deals for hotels. A general rule for the tail end of a National Day campaign: the F&B menus tend to stop on 31 August, while hotel and retail offers more often run into September, so the staycation and retail pages age better than the dining ones.
Worth pencilling in now: National Day 2027 falls on Monday 9 August 2027, Singapore's 62nd birthday. Because it lands on a weekday there is no public holiday in lieu, but a Monday holiday is a long weekend in its own right, running Saturday 7 to Monday 9 August, so the getaway window is intact and JB, Bintan, Batam and local staycations will fill early for those dates. The Ministry of Manpower has already gazetted 9 August 2027 as a public holiday, so you can book leave against it. The venue is settled: Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing confirmed on 25 August 2026 that NDP 2027 will be at the Padang, marking NS60, 60 years of National Service, and the Padang is where the first NDP was held in 1966. The catch nobody is spelling out is the arithmetic: the Padang holds roughly 27,000 to 28,000 against the 42,000 the National Stadium held in 2026, so about 14,000 to 15,000 seats leave a free public ballot for a milestone parade. The theme and song line-up still come later. What you can plan around is the ballot: in recent years applications have opened around late May, closed roughly two weeks later, with results by SMS and email in mid-June and collection in early July. It is free, it is the only legitimate route, and it covers the Preview Shows too, which are the smarter application if you mainly want to see the show and the fireworks without parade-night crowds. Full breakdown in NDP 2027 goes back to the Padang for NS60.
This is the single most-searched thing about the parade, so let's put it plainly: NDP tickets are free. There is no ticket price, no paid tier and no public VIP package. Tickets are distributed by a free public ballot at ndp.gov.sg, and successful applicants collect them at no charge.
They're also non-transferable and not for resale. Any Carousell, Telegram or ticketing-site listing selling NDP tickets is either an outright scam or a terms breach that can see the ticket voided at the gate, because the seat is tied to the successful applicant, not to whoever holds the printout. For NDP 2026 the ballot ran 23 May to 6 June, results went out 15 to 17 June by SMS and email, and collection was 3 to 5 July. There is never a second ballot and never a waitlist.
If you're holding an NDP ticket and wondering where you'll end up: you don't choose. The ballot assigns both category and seat, and tickets are non-transferable, so there's no seat selection, no upgrade path and no legitimate resale market. There is no free seating either, because every ticket in the bowl is a numbered seat.
What the National Stadium changed versus the Padang is that the experience was far more even. It's a fully covered, fully seated bowl of around 42,000, about 15,000 more than the Padang's 27,000, which meant no standing pen, no restricted-view field position, and no washout if it poured. Because the drone show was staged indoors, above the field rather than out over the water, it read well from right around the bowl instead of favouring one side. The trade-off ran the other way for fireworks: those were fired outside from the Kallang Basin, so ticket holders saw them through the roof aperture. That's genuinely why some locals rate the free riverside spots higher for the fireworks specifically.
All of that resets in 2027. The Padang is open air and smaller, so the roof advantage disappears, the weather is back in play, and the ballot gets harder. Gate timings, bag rules and NDP Pack contents are published per show on ndp.gov.sg, so check there rather than going off last year's advice.
You never need a ticket for the fireworks. In 2026 they were fired outside the stadium from Kallang Basin, and the free front-row spots were Stadium Riverside Walk, Tanjong Rhu Promenade and Kallang Riverside Park. This holds for every show night in an NDP season, not just parade night: the two Preview Shows on the preceding Saturdays each get a full display and draw a fraction of the crowd. Get there before 7pm, bring water, and expect Stadium MRT to be crushed on the way out; walking one stop to Mountbatten or Kallang is usually faster. For 2027 the parade moves to the Padang and the fireworks location has not been announced, so watch the Marina Bay vantage points rather than the Kallang ones.
There were no Heartland celebrations for NDP 2026. The neighbourhood satellite events that usually run alongside the parade didn't happen, and only a handful of independent community carnivals still ran. If you're planning around a future NDP, don't assume the island-wide heartland programme is a given; check your own town council's listings.
Detailed cards above. The short version, as at 9 September, is that the wave is done:
The rest is split across our dedicated SG61 guides below, which are updated on their own schedules.
National Day 2027 falls on Monday 9 August 2027, SG62. Because it lands on a weekday there's no public holiday in lieu, but a Monday holiday is a long weekend in its own right (Sat 7 to Mon 9 Aug), so the short-getaway window survives and JB, Bintan, Batam and local staycations will fill early for those dates. MOM has already gazetted the 2027 public holidays, so the date is safe to book leave around.
The venue is confirmed: Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing announced on 25 August 2026 that NDP 2027 will be held at the Padang, marking NS60, 60 years of National Service, and the Padang is where the very first NDP was held in 1966. The consequence worth naming is the seat count: the Padang holds roughly 27,000 to 28,000 against the National Stadium's 42,000 in 2026, so about 14,000 to 15,000 seats come out of a free public ballot for a milestone parade. The theme and songs still come later. Full details on the Padang announcement and what it means for the ballot.
What you *can* plan around is the ballot. Going by recent years, expect applications to open around late May 2027, close roughly two weeks later, results by SMS and email in mid-June, and collection in early July. It's free, it's the only legitimate route, and it covers the Preview Shows too, which are the smarter application if you mainly want the show and the fireworks without parade-night crowds. Watch ndp.gov.sg from May rather than social-media reposts, which are where most ticket scams start.
*Parade, ticket and ballot details per ndp.gov.sg and ask.gov.sg/ndp; NDP 2026 recap per official coverage of the 9 August parade. National Day 2027 date per MOM's gazetted 2027 public holiday list; NDP 2027 venue and NS60 per Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing's 25 August 2026 announcement, with the Padang capacity reported at about 27,000. Swensen's SG61 range rechecked on swensens.com.sg on 9 September 2026: the standalone SG61 page still lists the six dishes without prices or dates, but the range no longer appears on the homepage or the promotions index and none of the dishes are on the standing menu PDF, which does carry a Dry Laksa Linguine at $16.90. The SG61 prices, the $61 Family Set contents and the 9 July to 9 September run are per SG deal coverage, as Swensen's own page publishes neither. York Hotel National Day set terms, the $61 pricing before service charge and GST, the kids-eat-free two-mains condition and the standing $35/$65 net D-I-Y Hokkien Popiah Set all per yorkhotel.com.sg, checked 31 August 2026. KFC and Tim Ho Wan campaign dates per each brand's own announcements and SG deal coverage. Ballot timings for 2027 are indicative, based on recent years; the organisers confirm dates ahead of each season. All dates, prices and terms are set by the organisers and brands and can change, so confirm on official channels. Cover image: NDP 2026 official campaign banner (ndp.gov.sg).*
Nothing. NDP tickets are free. This is the single most common misconception about the parade: there is no ticket price, no paid tier and no VIP package on sale to the public. Tickets are distributed by a public ballot at ndp.gov.sg, and successful applicants collect them at no charge. They are also non-transferable and explicitly not for resale, which means any listing on Carousell, Telegram or a ticketing site offering NDP tickets for money is either a scam or a breach of the terms that can see the ticket voided at the gate. For NDP 2026 the ballot ran 23 May to 6 June 2026, results went out by SMS and email between 15 and 17 June, and collection was 3 to 5 July. If you want to go in 2027, watch ndp.gov.sg from around May. That is the only legitimate route, and it costs you nothing but the application.
NDP 2027 is at the Padang. Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing confirmed it on Tuesday 25 August 2026, and the reason is NS60: 2027 marks 60 years of National Service, and the Padang is where the first NDP was held in 1966. The practical consequence is a tighter ballot. The Padang seats roughly 27,000 to 28,000 spectators against the 42,000 the National Stadium held in 2026, so around 14,000 to 15,000 seats come out of a free public ballot for what will be a milestone parade. It is also an open-air venue, so unlike the covered Stadium bowl, weather is back in play for ticket holders. The theme, the song line-up and the fireworks location have not been announced. We break the announcement down in [NDP 2027 goes back to the Padang for NS60](/article/ndp-2027-padang-ns60-singapore).
National Day 2026 fell on Sunday 9 August 2026, Singapore's 61st birthday, and because it landed on a Sunday, Monday 10 August was a public holiday in lieu, giving most workers a long weekend. That long weekend has now passed. National Day 2027 falls on Monday 9 August 2027, which is Singapore's 62nd birthday (SG62). Because it lands on a weekday there is no public holiday in lieu, but a Monday holiday is a long weekend in itself: Saturday 7 to Monday 9 August 2027. The Ministry of Manpower has already gazetted the 2027 public holidays, so those dates are safe to book travel and leave around.
NDP 2026 delivered three genuine firsts. (1) The parade returned to the National Stadium, its first NDP there in 10 years, with around 42,000 spectators filling the bowl against about 27,000 at the Padang, 50 years on from the very first NDP at the old National Stadium. (2) It staged NDP's first indoor drone show, with more than 300 drones flying under the closed roof alongside aerial performers, projections and special effects, the largest indoor special-effects staging in NDP history. (3) The Presidential Gun Salute was fired from Kallang Basin for the first time, bringing the 21-gun tradition closer to the public. The parade also had the largest civilian participation segment in more than a decade and a first inclusive contingent of persons with disabilities, and three original songs debuted: 'Giants' by Iman Fandi, 'Sparkle' by Gareth Fernandez and Dru Chen, and 'You'll Be Okay' by Jasmine Sokko. Fireworks were fired from Kallang Basin during the final act, synchronised to the NDP songs, with thousands watching free from around the basin.
No. NDP seats are allocated, not chosen, and this is how the ballot has worked every year. The ballot at ndp.gov.sg assigns successful applicants both a category and a specific seat, and tickets are non-transferable, so there is no seat selection, no upgrade path and no legitimate resale market. There is also no such thing as free seating at NDP: every ticket in the bowl is a numbered seat. At the National Stadium in 2026 that meant a fully covered, fully seated bowl of about 42,000, so no standing pen, no restricted-view field position and no washout if it rained. At the Padang in 2027 the seating is open air, so ponchos are back in the packing list. Gate timings, bag rules and NDP Pack contents are published per show on ndp.gov.sg rather than being the same every year, so check there instead of going off last year's advice.
You never need a ticket for the fireworks. In 2026 they were fired outside the stadium from Kallang Basin, so the whole waterfront was a viewing gallery, and the best free vantage points were Stadium Riverside Walk, Tanjong Rhu Promenade and Kallang Riverside Park. This applies to every show night in an NDP season, not just the parade itself: the two Preview Shows on the preceding Saturdays each get a full display and draw a fraction of the crowd. Get there before 7pm, bring water, and expect Stadium MRT to be crushed on the way out; walking one stop to Mountbatten or Kallang is usually faster. For 2027 the parade moves to the Padang and the fireworks location has not been announced, so the Marina Bay vantage points are the ones to watch rather than the Kallang ones.
Through the public ballot at ndp.gov.sg, and it costs nothing. Based on how recent years have run, expect applications to open around late May 2027 and close about two weeks later, with results sent by SMS and email in mid-June and ticket collection in early July. The ballot covers both the parade itself and the Preview Shows on the preceding Saturdays, and the Preview Shows are the smarter application if you mainly want to see the show and the fireworks without parade-night crowds. Two things to plan for in 2027: the Padang is a smaller venue than the National Stadium, so the odds are worse than 2026, and NS60 will push demand up. Watch ndp.gov.sg from May rather than social-media reposts, which are where most ticket scams start. Exact dates are confirmed by the organisers each season, so treat the timings above as indicative.
Not on this page, not any more. The last one standing was Swensen's SG61 National Day menu, which ran 9 July to 9 September 2026 at outlets islandwide: Singapore Laksa Pizza and Jumbo Blue Prawn Hokkien Mee at $18.61, Shiok Fish Burger at $16.61, Chilli Crab Soup with Mantou at $11.61, Muah Chee Waffle with Ice Cream at $10.61 and MILO Bandung at $5, plus a $61 SG61 Family Set for three, dine-in only. Rechecked on 9 September 2026, that range is off Swensen's homepage and promotions index and none of its dishes sit on the standing menu, so treat it as done. Everything else on this page closed earlier: KFC's Curry x Sambal range ran 8 July to 18 August, and both Tim Ho Wan's 'SG61 Flavours of Singapore' dim sum menu (21 July to 31 August) and York Hotel White Rose Cafe's National Day sets (1 to 31 August) finished at the end of August. If you missed the York popiah set, its everyday version is still on the menu at $35 net for 6 rolls and $65 net for 12, daily 12pm to 8pm with three days' notice, which works out cheaper than the $61 National Day price once 10% service charge and 9% GST are added.
The National Day Rally is a different event from the parade, and there is no NDP-style ballot for it. The Prime Minister's Office does not sell tickets or run a public application for the Rally; its announcements give broadcast and livestream details, which is how nearly everyone watches it. National Day Rally 2026 was on Sunday 23 August 2026 at ITE Headquarters in Ang Mo Kio, with PM Lawrence Wong speaking in Malay and Mandarin from 6.45pm and in English from 8pm. It aired on Channel 5, CNA and CNA938 (English), Channel 8, Channel U and Capital 95.8FM (Mandarin), Suria and Warna 94.2FM (Malay) and Vasantham and Oli 96.8FM (Tamil), and was livestreamed on PM Wong's and PMO's YouTube channels, where the recordings stay up alongside pmo.gov.sg. The 2027 Rally date is usually announced a few weeks ahead by PMO.
