Merry Go Double this Christmas
- Terese Lim
- Jan 1, 2018
- 2 min read
The Great Christmas Village exclusive preview showcased major highlights and a first-ever double-storey carousel.
By Terese Lim
Orchard Road Business Association (Orba) celebrated the grand opening of this year’s Christmas Village, featuring live performances, local food with a twist and a duplex carousel.
Back for its second edition, the massive village at Ngee Ann City was declared open during its exclusive preview on Nov 14. The pop-up Christmas village piles on the festive vibes along with this year’s first Disney light-up.
The closed-door event was open to members of the media, sponsors and partners of Orba. Members of the public can visit from Nov 15 onwards.
For the first time, the centrepiece was a majestic 52-seater double-decker carousel towering at 9.3m. A total of 4,000 man-hours were taken to produce this European-style Carousel from design to production, complete with a special seat carriage for wheelchair riders.
Due to technical difficulties and regulations, the iconic ride did not manage to pull through on time for the approval last year.
Mr Steven Goh, 59, executive director of Orba said: “This year we brought it back with the authentic Italian made double-storey ride. While it’s expensive, we know that it’s going to bring joy and happiness to all the children and families.”
Orba collaborated with Timbre to bring visitors a wider selection of food. Guests enjoyed delights at the craft beer bar with popular eateries like New Ubin Seafood and Two Wings. Singapore-style Christmas food includes Santa’s Perfect Meepok ($12) and Bellychon meal ($12).
Mr Edward Chia, 34, managing director of Timbre Group, said: "Timbre is about promoting local talent. We want to showcase to the world that yes we celebrate Christmas, but we celebrate with a uniquely Singapore style.”
Guests were entertained with a live performance by Sweatshop Jam, a local band from the Timbre Music Academy. These homegrown musicians serenaded the crowd with classics like Last Christmas and Winter Wonderland.
Mr Dannon Har, 30, senior editor of SG Magazine, said “as usual they’re all top-notched” and “playing all the usual popular hits that can’t go wrong”.
Hitachi Asia, the main sponsor of this year’s Christmas light-up, set up an extended-size Santa House where children enjoyed complimentary craft activities and meet-and-greet sessions with Santa Claus.
Ms Shermaine Choo, 24, a freelance event talent who visited the village, said: “It’s so much better than last year. It’s very vibrant and with all the rides, I think it’s very attractive.”
Mr Har said it was a very exciting event but “as the second time they’re doing this, the first time was better” as “it had a more ‘Christmassy’ vibe”.
Orba is expecting to draw over 4.8 million visitors during this year-end festive season.
The Great Christmas Village will end on Dec 26. Admission is free.
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