“Where flowers bloom, so does hope.”
This year, Orchard Road Business Association (ORBA) celebrates a journey of hope and resilience with the theme “Christmas in Bloom,” as businesses along Singapore’s most famous shopping strip hope for a return to normalcy.
In its latest iteration of Christmas on A Great Street, now in its 38th year, ORBA’s annual Christmas Light-up on Orchard Road features an array of attractions such as a giant outdoor video projection using augmented reality technology that transforms the side of Mandarin Orchard Singapore into a wall of wonder. The countdown clock for Christmas Day and the New Year will move from its traditional location at the Scotts-Paterson Road junction to this digital wall.
The key design elements behind “Christmas in Bloom” draw their inspiration from Singapore’s botanical richness and the interior of ribbed vault architecture which exudes a feeling of being safe, an especially needed quality in the time of coronavirus.
The main arch at the Scotts-Paterson Road junctions features a burst of colourful lights accented by red and rose gold poinsettias, a traditional Christmas flower that symbolises purity and mirth. Further along, the Cairnhill junction to The Atrium@Orchard stretch will see blooming white Christmas roses in striking contrast to the champagne gold light arches on which they are perched. At the other end of Orchard Road, starting at Tanglin Mall, red poinsettias positioned on red and rose gold arches will spread warmth all the way to the Paterson junction.
The vault inspiration is seen in the over-street arches of lights; using a combination of neon and fairy lights, the intended result is a mesmerising effect to motorists cruising along Orchard Road.
For the first time, the sidewall of Mandarin Orchard Singapore will be transformed into a wall of wonder with multimedia projection extravaganza and an integrated augmented reality experience.
From now to 2 January 2022, the side of Mandarin Orchard Singapore comes to life with a 10-minute scheduled 3D projection mapping show from 8pm to 10.30pm daily. Merli and friends, Singapore’s tourism mascots, will have starring roles on the digital wall projections as they shop for gifts, decorate the Christmas tree and enjoy a sumptuous dinner. Viewers on Orchard Road can download PopAR, a mobile application, to enhance their viewing experience with augmented reality effects.
On the eve of Christmas and New Year’s Day, visitors to Orchard Road will also be treated to a special countdown segment with unique content and augmented reality fireworks at midnight.
In addition, Music in the Air returns after a 3-year hiatus. Shoppers walking along the stretch between ION Orchard and Ngee Ann City will hear recorded tunes from popular Christmas carols, including Silent Night, daily between 5pm to 10.30pm and 5pm to 12.30am on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. This also complements the visual experience at the giant outdoor projection.
Similar to last year, people in Singapore and abroad can enjoy Christmas on A Great Street virtually from the comforts of their homes. Using a phone or computer, viewers can join the festivities by hopping onto the microsite featuring 360-degree views along the 3.11 km stretch from Tanglin Mall to Plaza Singapura.
This year, the virtual tour showcases better video quality and greater immersion with augmented reality features allowing for enhanced interaction and sound. To enhance street vibrancy, 10 hotspots along the Christmas on A Great Street virtual tour will showcase local buskers and musicians with their performances as they bring a local slant to complement existing offerings.
ORBA collaborates with Lazada Singapore as the Official E-commerce partner to create the first-ever Orchard Road dedicated campaign page that will feature digital goods from various Orchard Road brands as well as an exclusive promotion for Official Card, Mastercard. Other iconic Christmas sales such as Cyber Monday and 12.12 will be hosted here as well. Mastercard cardholders will enjoy $5 off with a minimum spend of $100 on the Orchard Road campaign page from 26 – 29 November and 10 – 12 December 2021.
From now to 24 December 2021, the first 100 Mastercard shoppers who spend a minimum of $300 each week at any of the 11 participating malls will be eligible to receive $30 mall vouchers, which can be redeemed with a maximum of five same-day receipts from the same mall.
11 participating malls
Mastercard has also pledged to donate $0.50 to the Singapore Children’s Society for every qualifying Mastercard transaction at the 11 participating malls from now to 24 December 2021.
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