Went down to River Hongbao on the first day of the Chinese [Lunar] New Year. Met my friend Xander at UOB Plaza to have dinner at Burger King before we took a slow walk down along Battery Road, down the Fullerton Bridge and past the Esplanade. Admission is free and there was a huge crowd.

This year’s River HongBao is held the floating platform in Marina Bay. It’s the first time I’ve been there even though 2 National Day Parades have been held there. I must say they should do something about the entrance even though I understand they want to control the flow of people into the platform, but it is like just 10 – 15% in width compared to the exit and the movement is so slow you end up sweaty (even when the nights are pretty cool lately) by the time you get in.

The lighted displays are nice, consisting of the 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac, a ‘Terra Cotta’ chess set, a large statue of the ‘god of wealth and prosperity’ and even a wishing well. There are also other displays which I have sort of forgotten but you can see them in the slide show below. I saw a number of people setting up their cameras with stands along the Esplanade pointing at the platform so I believe this is a good place for you to go to get the worth out of your camera, or practice night photography if you are a photography hobbyist.

In the center of the platform there is a stage, where some traditional Chinese arts are performed. You can also check out the photos of the stage taken by EastCoastLife here.

Apart from all these, there’s also a small section for food called the ‘Food Street’. I personally think it is too much a misnomer since compared to size of the platform, this covers a even smaller area, perhaps a result of lower take up of stalls due to the worsening economic conditions. There’s also a small tent where Singapore Pools is set up, so I guess a lot of people would have gone to pay their homage to the ‘god of fortune’ and then went on to try their luck there.

I personally think it’s a good place to bring your family out and enjoy the Chinese New Year atmosphere. That’s not mentioning the weather the past few days has been cool so it really gives you that Spring feeling. However, my personal advice is, don’t bring your animals or your babies in prams. I have seen people cuddling their dogs, and pushing their baby prams along. Not that I have anything against people with pets or babies, but please consider that the area is already congested and not everyone likes to rub against dog fur, and the tram takes up space which make the congestion worse than it already is.

Recommended Reads:
James Seng’s: Association of Bloggers (Singapore)