The Pedestrian Night had been happening for a while (well, since July 2015 actually) and I had been wanting to take the kids there since I heard about it. No such luck when
#1. by the time we get there, it will be way past their bedtime & we don’t fancy walking with cranky kids
#2. Daddy Ting is not a big fan of crowds, especially the weekend crowd. oh and sweating while he walks no less.
So how to go leh? But hey, there is a Christmas edition and I thought it would be really cool to take the kids there! I would brave through with cranky kids to soak in the atmosphere! But alas..that was not to be cos the skies opened in the arvo and it rained. I could almost hear Daddy Ting squeal with glee when I forlornly told him it might not be a good idea to take the kids along in this unpredictable wet weather.
In his exact words? ‘You mean there is an option??’ Bah, humbug.
To prep myself for the solo walk, I downloaded the OneOrchard app to check out the freebies. #auntiemodeon
Free movie ticket & popcorn combo? Check *taps to add into e-wallet*
Free ice cream? Check *taps to add into e-wallet*
Free $10 shopping voucher? Check *taps to add into e-wallet*
Free bottle of mineral water?
Free wristband bottle?
Not enough? Coca Cola Singapore sponsored drinks along the stretch. So just simply grab your icy cold cans and bottles!
the looong queue for freebies
I was all ready for a solo walk, but hey, 10mins into my walk (after collecting my free movie ticket, free $10 Clipper Tea voucher AND wristband bottle), I met some of Donald’s cousins! Yaay, made the walk WAAAY much better to have company! We could goad each other to participate in activities and enjoy the sights more. We started off in the middle of the stretch, in front of the water fountain at Takashimaya and made our way towards Tangs.
tadah! say hi family!
Along the way, we picked up more freebies like this bottle of water. Seriously, you’d think nothing about it till the thirst hits you. And because the sides are barricaded up, this would pretty much be your thirst quencher till you hit the other end!
so thankful for this thirst quencher!
Feeling like you want some dessert in the midst of your walk? Fret not, free ice cream! =)
free ice cream!
you don’t say no to yummy ice cream!
Of course the Pedestrian Night is more than about freebies, there were performances, balloon sculptors, the Coca-Cola’s Movement is Happiness activity stations too!
balloon sculpting
photo op with Santa (poor Santa must be melting tho!)
eh..your very own outdoor fireplace?
there is just something about looking at vintage cars.
squeeaaal! A combi! Up close no less!
We made a u-turn and towards the other end of the street (nearing Bideford). We were enjoying an on-stage singing performance before progressing on. For some reason, the family got split up so I decided to hang around just before the Coca Cola corner with my cousin whilst waiting for the rest to catch up. There were activities for the kids.Skipping, Twister, Giant 5-stones & Hop-scotch! Ollie would have loved hop-scotch!
giant jenga @ the Coca Cola corner
hopskotch at the Coca Cola station
twister at the Coca Cola station
And then we found out why the rest of the family took so long to catch up. Because…jeng jeng!
winner for guessing one of the sponsors for the Pedestrian Night Christmas edition! Thanks Hitachi!
Prizes for going up on stage to answer simple questions and the goodie bag was really good! A power bank, a moleskin and a couple of other stuff leh!
The good thing about the Pedestrian Night is that it allows you to slowly enjoy the Christmas decor as you would when you are in the car. Standing on the sides only allowed you to enjoy the decor on the opposite side of the road. These few hours really allowed a lot of photo-taking opportunities and to just casually stroll with friends and family and, well, soak in the atmospher. It really brought back a lot of memories and I was reminiscing the ole days of Tangs where decorations were not just baubles and lights. Back in the 90s, I remembered sitting in our family car, and looking through the window to enjoy the decor as my parents deliberately drove through Orchard Road just for us to check out the Christmas decor. The Christmas decoration setup then was even more elaborate. Everything was in 3D, there would be a Santa with a moving arm, holding the reins of the sleigh; a couple of mechanised children moving side to side, singing carols. You would also see such decor at Centrepoint. These two buildings would be fully decked out in such decor.
It was a nolstagic moment, and I told my hubby about it when I got home. That I actually missed those decor back in those days. I told my nieces who were with me then, about how the decor would be like back in those days, and the cousins agreed that it was probably harder to do so now either due to costs or to safety.
But hey, this event wouldn’t be it without some people that we so easily miss out on too.
Just outside Tangs, I was about the dump my empty cup of ice cream on top of the already high pile of garbage on the ash-tray, when the cleaner turned the bin around and tapped at the side opening with his tongs, before frustratedly pick up the trash from the ash-tray. Oops, I had automatically assumed that it was full that’s why the pileup on top. The bin was so empty! Could see why he was so frustrated. I mean..how lazy were we to just even step around to check out if the bin was full or empty. I apologised and then walked off..but decided to go back again and grab a selfie with him, and said my thanks to him.
But thanks so much for making the entire night so enjoyable!! Definitely looking forward to the next Pedestrian Night in Jan and Feb 2016!
This initiative is organised by Orchard Road Business Association (ORBA) and supported by Singapore Tourism Board (STB). For the latest information about Pedestrian Night, please visit http://www.orchardroad.