In celebration of racial harmony, dress in your finest ethnic wear and join in the nation’s inaugural Harmony Sports Fiesta 2023. Jointly organised by Kallang Alive Sport Management (KASM) and the Racial and Religious Harmony Circle, Harmony Sports Fiesta 2023 at the Singapore Sports Hub is Singapore’s first-ever national racial harmony festival where you can learn about Singapore’s multicultural communities through music, dance, food and games. To commemorate Racial Harmony Day in July, the celebration brings people across ages and from all walks of life together to better understand and appreciate different cultural backgrounds, as well as discover common threads that bond us.
The Harmony Sports Fiesta complements the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth’s SGinHarmony efforts to engage the public in strengthening our nation’s social compact and preserving our multiracial and multi-religious harmony. Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Second Minister for Law, will be the Guest-of-Honour at the opening ceremony.
Break out into a multicultural dance!
The celebrations at Singapore Sports Hub kick off on 22 July with the largest-ever multicultural dance. Everyone is invited, so come dressed to celebrate. More than 1,000 participants, both young and old, dressed in ethnic wear are expected to come together to perform a 6-minute, bespoke dance workout featuring choreography that incorporates signature movements from various cultural art forms.
Mr Fazlur Rahman Bin Kamsani, Member of the Harmony Circle Coordinating Council and Chairperson of Kembangan-Chai Chee Harmony Circle and Organising Committee of Harmony Sports Fiesta, said, “We are excited and looking forward to the inaugural Harmony Sports Fiesta. Our tagline “Different Races, Many Beliefs, One Singapore” reflects what we want to achieve through the fiesta. Harmony Circle will continue to be the bridge between different community groups to foster ties and support one another. We hope the fiesta will bring families and friends from various race and faith backgrounds to bond and appreciate the richness of our racial and religious diversity.”
Since the Government took over the reins of the Singapore Sports Hub in December 2022, the KASM team has stepped up on events with the community for the community, and the nation’s inaugural Harmony Sports Fiesta 2023 is its largest community activity yet. According to Quek Swee Kuan, Chief Executive Officer of KASM, “The Singapore community is shaped by unique experiences, mutual trust and a common understanding that our diversity is a strength. Whether through celebrating festivities together or gathering as one Singapore to celebrate National Day, Singapore Sports Hub can play a key role in bringing communities and cultures together to further strengthen our Singaporean identity. We are pleased to host the inaugural Harmony Sports Fiesta 2023 and remain committed to enabling greater access to Sports Hub and curating even more events and activities for the community.”
An immersive celebration like no other
OCBC Square will be the centre stage for a plethora of multicultural arts as dance groups, music groups and actors showcase their talents. Across the square, there will also be interactive cultural spaces where visitors can immerse themselves in the different cultures of our community.
One exciting highlight is the super-sized versions of everyone’s favourite traditional games. Gather your friends and family to experience gigantic versions of traditional games such as carrom, goli sandpit, snakes and ladders, and congkak.
For those who want to bring a keepsake home, you can try your hand at traditional arts and crafts ranging from making Chinese knot bracelets, Wayang Kulit puppets and Rangoli sand art to embroidery keychains and shophouse shrink art.
There will also be Racial Harmony Display Boards set up by the National Heritage Board, detailing the unique and deep history of the racial communities in Singapore.
Symphony of favourite local delicacies
True to any festival celebrating Singapore’s unique racial diversity, you can expect rows of F&B booths offering traditional snack favourites from a wide array of culinary traditions. Whether you’re having bazaar-staples like goreng pisang, muah chee and vadai, or enjoying familiar drinks such as ice bandung, and ice milo dinosaur, nothing bonds communities together like great food with great company.
More information on Harmony Sports Fiesta 2023 can be found here.
