Istana to hold Chinese New Year open house

SINGAPORE: The Istana will be open to the public on Feb 5 in celebration of Chinese New Year.

The open house will be subject to safe management measures to ensure the safety of all visitors, the Istana said on Friday (Jan 21).

There will also be no performances, tours or food trucks on the day. Additionally, only the outdoor gardens will be accessible to visitors, and there will be no conducted tours of the main building.

Visitors must keep their masks on at all times. Safe distancing ambassadors will be deployed to ensure visitors observe the rules.

Those who wish to visit the grounds will have to apply for tickets in advance, with each application limited to five tickets.

They must choose a two-hour timeslot starting from 9am, 11am, 1pm or 3pm. Tickets will be allocated by an electronic balloting system, the Istana said.

Application will open at this website from 10am on Jan 24, to 10am on Jan 25.

Each ticket admits one visitor. Children, including infants, must hold valid tickets to be admitted.

There will be merchandise booths selling limited-edition Istana souvenirs and President’s Challenge souvenirs. Only cashless payments via Paynow will be accepted, and proceeds will go towards charities supported by the President’s Challenge.

“The Istana seeks visitors’ cooperation and understanding so that the Istana open house will be a pleasant experience for all,” it said.