Istana to hold Deepavali open house on Nov 1 with first narrated changing of guard ceremony

The Istana will open to the public on Sunday (Nov 1) to celebrate Deepavali, with the first-ever narrated changing of guards ceremony among the programme lineup.

"Visitors can look forward to the first narrated changing of guards ceremony held in conjunction with an Istana open house, an evening outdoor concert, and a range of cultural performances and activities for all ages," the President's Office said on Tuesday (Oct 27).

The changing of guards is a longstanding military tradition, marking the formal handover of sentry duties from outgoing to incoming guards.

The open house, which will be held from 10am to 8pm, will also feature a community marketplace organised by the Singapore Business Federation Foundation, showcasing inclusive employment support and practices, and feature booths by community organisations.

There will also be a diverse lineup of music, dance and cultural performances taking place throughout the day, culminating in an evening outdoor concert — that first featured in the National Day open house.

Performance highlights include homegrown singer-songwriters Ahmadul Amin and Heema Izzati, as well as performing groups from Project #JalanJalan, Extraordinary People, Micron and Quantedge.

Students from Singapore Polytechnic will also presenting the dikir barat and Malay dance performances.

Visitors can also enjoy a dedicated reading space by the National Library and Archives Board (NLB) as part of its ReadSG initiative, featuring a selection of books recommended by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his wife Jane Ittogi.

Apart from joining the ReadSG Challenge, visitors can also redeem limited-edition “I Read at the Istana” collectibles.

The Istana Stamp Rally, developed in partnership with Singapore Polytechnic, will return with newly designed stamps for visitors to collect.

The activity, suitable for visitors of all ages, invites participants to explore the Istana grounds through a series of fun activities at designated pitstops, collect uniquely designed stamps, and redeem exclusive Istana merchandise upon completion.

Those who have pre-registered for the guided Istana Heritage Tour can tour the Istana grounds during their chosen timeslot from 10.30am.

Visitors who have not pre-registered can still do a self-guided tour of the Istana Villa from 10am to 5.30pm.

There will be food and beverage stalls and merchandise booths at the open house. Only cashless payments — credit or debits cards, QR code — will be accepted.

Visitors can enter the Istana grounds via the main gate at Orchard Road near Dhoby Ghaut MRT station.

Entry may be restricted due to capacity or inclement weather.

Singaporeans, permanent residents, as well as migrant domestic workers accompanying families can enter for free, but all other visitors must pay an admission fee of $20 for adults and $10 per child aged four to 12, via cashless payment.

All proceeds from entry fees and tours are non-refundable and will go towards benefiting programmes supported by the President's Challenge.

The Istana open house will not proceed if the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) exceeds 200.

This is in line with the National Environment Agency's haze advisories.

Visitors are encouraged to check latest haze advisories, including hourly PM2.5 concentration readings, and the Istana website for updates before proceeding to the event.

为庆祝排灯节，总统府将于周日（11 月 1 日）向公众开放，节目单上将包括有史以来第一次有旁白解说的卫兵换岗仪式。

总统府周二（10 月 27 日）表示：“游客们可以期待首次举行的卫兵换岗仪式（有解说），该仪式还将与总统府开放日、晚间户外音乐会以及一系列适合所有年龄段的文化表演和活动同时举行。”

换岗仪式是一项由来已久的军事传统，标志着哨兵职责从卸任的卫兵正式移交给接任的卫兵。

开放日活动将于上午 10 点至晚上 8 点举行，届时新加坡商业联合会基金会将组织社区市集，展示包容性就业支持和实践，并设有社区组织的展位。

全天还将上演各种音乐、舞蹈和文化表演，并在晚上举行户外音乐会——该活动最初是在国庆开放日上推出的。

演出亮点包括本土创作歌手 Ahmadul Amin 和 Heema Izzati，以及来自 Project #JalanJalan、Extraordinary People、Micron 和 Quantedge 的表演团体。

新加坡理工学院的学生也将带来迪基尔巴拉特舞和马来舞蹈表演。

游客还可以享受国家图书馆和档案馆管理局 (NLB) 提供的专属阅读空间，这是其 ReadSG 计划的一部分，其中精选了由总统尚达曼和他的妻子简·伊托吉推荐的书籍。

除了参加 ReadSG 挑战赛，游客还可以兑换限量版“我在总统府阅读”收藏品。

与新加坡理工学院合作开发的总统府集邮活动将携全新设计的邮票回归，供游客收集。

这项活动适合所有年龄段的游客，邀请参与者通过在指定站点进行的一系列趣味活动来探索总统府，收集独特设计的印章，并在完成后兑换总统府专属商品。

已预先登记参加总统府遗产导览游的游客，可在上午 10:30 起选择的时间段内参观总统府。

未预先登记的游客仍可在上午 10 点至下午 5 点 30 分之间自行参观总统府别墅。

开放日当天将设有食品饮料摊位和商品售卖处。仅接受非现金支付方式——信用卡、借记卡、二维码。

游客可从乌节路靠近多美歌地铁站的正门进入总统府。

由于场地容量限制或恶劣天气，入场可能受到限制。

新加坡公民、永久居民以及随行家政工人可以免费入场，但其他所有游客必须支付门票，成人票价为 20 新元，4 至 12 岁儿童票价为 10 新元，可通过非现金支付方式支付。

门票和旅游收入全部不可退款，并将用于资助总统挑战计划支持的项目。

如果 24 小时污染物标准指数 (PSI) 超过 200，总统府开放日将不会举行。

这与国家环境局发布的雾霾预警一致。

建议游客在前往活动地点之前，查看最新的雾霾预警信息，包括每小时的 PM2.5 浓度读数，并访问总统府网站了解最新情况。