Goodbye 2022! Hello 2023! Happy New Year!!! Singapore just started to really open back up in 2022 and we caught their first New Year’s fireworks display since before the pandemic.
We arrived on the west side of Marina Bay a bit before 6pm, hoping to secure a spot by the water. It turned out to be rather busy already so we quickly identified a backup spot before continuing on to our second choice in front of the Marina Bay Sands. There were some unanticipated closures there that were put in place after we passed through the area earlier in the day. So, we headed to our backup spot! Just as we arrived, it started to rain. Not enough to make us put on our waterproof jackets, but enough to make some people leave. Score! We got our preferred spot directly across Marina Bay from the fireworks and the paid “Star Island” viewing area.
The nice thing about where we sat is that there is seating directly next to the water with an attached railing. Perfect place to wait six hours! It did eventually rain harder for awhile and we saw a good amount of lightning and heard some thunder. But eventually the weather calmed down a bit. It was quite comfortable after the rain, particularly when the wind picked up here and there.
At 10:30pm, there were a few fireworks fired into the air. Then at 10:45pm, the drones turned on their lights and the show began! It was a long show that lasted until 12:07am. The fireworks weren’t continuous but there were many impressive displays. Quite a bit different from the typical show which is much shorter but with a quicker and denser display.
Two special drone scenes, the Merlion, icon of Singapore, and the Singaporean flag!
A few somewhat random selected scenes from the one hour and fifteen minutes of the show that occurred before midnight. Some of the more dynamic elements such as color changing and rotation don’t really show up too well in the 3 second exposure photography used here to generate light trails.
About two minutes before midnight, the drones rearranged themselves to form an analog clock. The clock appears backwards because we are viewing from opposite of the intended direction.
2023! The fireworks after midnight were comparatively short, just seven minutes long. The most impressive scene was right at midnight in the initial burst of fireworks. Later on, there was a bit of a problem at this point with the smoke severely blocking the fireworks. But overall, an impressive display put on by Singapore!