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Why are processions like Chingay and St Patrick’s Day allowed to play musical instruments?

Updated by MHA
Chingay and St Patrick’s Day are primarily celebrated as festive, cultural and secular events. Permits issued for these events expressly stipulate that there shall be no religious elements exhibited or displayed during the events. The events are also limited to a certain locality and their scale and duration differ from Thaipusam. Chingay is a multi-cultural street performance and floats parade held in celebration of the Chinese New Year. It is organised by the People’s Association to bring different communities together. Since 2010, the main parade has been held at the F1 Pit Building on the F1 track (off the main roads). The distance of the parade is typically less than 800m. The parade is held over two days, with each parade lasting about three hours. St Patrick’s Day celebrations comprise two components, a street parade to celebrate Irish culture, and a festival held at Boat Quay where there are a number of Irish-themed pubs. St Patrick’s Day is celebrated culturally in Singapore, much like St Valentine’s Day. For the street parade, no lane or road closures are allowed, and the parade takes place wholly on pedestrian walkways. The distance of the parade is less than 500m, and is typically less than an hour. The festival is held at Circular Road, which will be closed to accommodate the large number of patrons. The festival ends at 10pm daily.

Topics:

Public Order

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