With Singapore celebrating her diamond jubilee, 2025’s National Day Parade is set to be an extra big and boisterous affair – so much so that there are two NDP locations this year, at Marina Bay and the Padang. Naturally, crowd levels are going to be at an all-time high, with possible congestion on both roads and pavements. But arrive early, arm yourself with a real-time crowd level feed, and stay informed of road closures so that you won’t get swept up in the throng this August 9.
Note: Press and hold (mobile) or right click (desktop) on the featured map images below and open them in a new tab in order to zoom in clearly.
What time should I arrive for NDP 2025?
The gates to the National Day Parade open at 4pm, while the pre-parade segment starts at 5pm. This gives you a good hour to find your seat, make a toilet stop, and settle down. However, you’re strongly encouraged to arrive earlier for a smoother process, so you might wish to start queuing at least 30 minutes to an hour before 4pm.
Make sure you only enter via your designated entry point based on your seat number, or you might have to turn back and queue all over again.
Here’s a handy map to check out for the easiest access to the Padang based on your entry gate:
In short, the nearest MRT stations to the Padang are:
- Red entrance: City Hall MRT station
- Yellow entrance: City Hall MRT station
- Blue entrance: Raffles Place MRT station
- Green entrance: Esplanade MRT station
Where can I check crowd levels on National Day?
Keep a tab on Crowd@MarinaBay – this portal provides real-time updates on crowd levels around Marina Bay from 5pm to 10.30pm, so those hoping to catch fireworks or simply looking to navigate their way through the area will know where to avoid. Walking paths are also marked for the benefit of those who are traversing on foot.
The same map will also be displayed on screens at MRT stations.
You can also use the OneMap mobile app to check for the best walking routes in Marina Bay on August 9 from 7pm to 10.30pm.
Which roads will be closed during National Day 2025?
The Singapore Police Force’s Central Police Division has created a super helpful map of all the National Day road closures on August 9, 2025. This includes Bayfront Avenue (Bayfront Bridge), Raffles Avenue, North Bridge Road, St Andrew’s Road, Esplanade Drive and a couple of others. View the interactive version on Google Maps with various timing-based layers that you can toggle on and off here.