SG50

It’ll be Singapore’s 50^th birthday (what a grand old dame!) come August 9 2015, and plans are already under way to make the celebration one that’s full of pomp and glory. But it’s not going to be the usual top-down, state-executed affair—instead, there’s a nationwide SG50 campaign that’s seeking crowdsourced ideas on how Singapore should celebrate its 50^th year.

The project is still in its initial stages, but right now, there’s a public call for celebration ideas, which can be submitted through the SG50 official website, or via collection boxes at various community centres, public libraries and museums through March 23. Those of you who are thinking of organizing your own projects and events can also tap into the SG50 Celebration Fund, where you may receive up to $50,000 worth of seed funding. Other details of the campaign will be gradually released to the public—August 2015 is still some time away, so do look out for loads of exciting events in the interim.

Tourism50

On a separate note, the Singapore Tourism Board has launched their (uncannily, similarly-named) Tourism50 campaign to commemorate 50 years of tourism development and promotion in Singapore. The plan consists of three phases—namely Reminisce, Rediscover and Celebrate—and aims to raise awareness of past and present tourism developments, drum up public interest and participation, as well as celebrate the future of Singapore’s tourism sector.

The first phase has already commenced with several open-to-public events, such as Reliving Haw Par Villa and LATENT SPACES @ Haw Par Villa. There’ll be plenty more activities coming up for phases two and three over the next few months, too, so be sure to watch this space for updates.