GetActive! Singapore 2024: Bringing Communities Together Through Sport and Fun for All

GetActive! Singapore celebrates Singapore’s 59th birthday with a slew of inclusive and engaging activities for all across the island, fostering bonds between family and friends and promoting an active lifestyle through sport

Singapore, 27 July 2024 – GetActive! Singapore (GASG) 2024, the annual National Day celebration through sport, returns for its ninth edition this year. Taking place from 27 July to 11 August 2024, this year’s GASG is more inclusive and accessible than ever, with an array of activities that cater to both the masses and specific segments of the community such as children, youths, seniors, and persons with disabilities. Made possible through Sport Singapore’s (SportSG) partnerships with key collaborators, highlights include an expanded programme and new public component for inclusive sports competition Play Inclusive; the first ever co-organised Nurture Kids Day Out with a preschool anchor operator; an all-new annual sports festival Youth@Play for youths; as well as the return of intergenerational bonding between school children and seniors at the Seniors’ Sports Day – ActiveX Playdate. This year’s GASG also includes the second edition of Majulah Fiesta, organised in collaboration with Kallang Alive Sport Management (KASM), at the Singapore Sports Hub.

In conjunction with the Civil Service Club’s Public Service Sports and Family Day (PSSFD), the highly anticipated GASG 2024 kickoff event saw more than 3,000 people gathered at the OCBC Square of the Singapore Sports Hub. GASG 2024 was officially launched by guest-of-honour Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Second Minister for Law, Mr Edwin Tong. The day began with attendees of all ages moving along to the GASG Workout 2024: Dance of the Nation (DOTN), choreographed to this year’s National Day Parade (NDP) theme song, ‘Not Alone’. Also being celebrated was Olympic Day – made extra special due to it coinciding with the opening of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Attendees gathered to join in the 3.8km Olympic Day Walk around the Singapore Sports Hub’s vicinity, in celebration of the Olympic spirit and as a show of support for Team Singapore and their pursuit of excellence.

GASG 2024 offers all patrons access to a wider assortment of sport experiences, competitions, and activities, regardless of their background or ability. In line with Singapore’s National Day celebrations, GASG’s increased offerings provide more opportunities for Singapore residents to participate in the festivities and bond through sport.

Reflecting on the significance of GASG, Mr Alan Goh, Chief Executive Officer of SportSG said, “Since its inception in 2016, GASG has evolved beyond just encouraging active living among residents. Today, GASG represents the Singapore Spirit, embodying our unity and collective commitment to a healthy lifestyle. This year’s edition includes an expanded Pesta Sukan that features a Community Championship that aims to foster a ‘kampung’ spirit among participants, and furthers our outreach to our communities including children, youths, seniors and persons with disabilities. The strong support we receive from like-minded partners such as schools, institutes of higher learning (IHL), public agencies and private organisations have been instrumental in enabling us to co-create programmes that help empower, engage and bring together our communities in celebration of our National Day through sport and active play.”

Inclusive Events Bringing Together Diverse Communities

Through inclusive events such as Play Inclusive and Seniors’ Sports Day – ActiveX Playdate, different communities can come together to bond and learn from each other, while embracing an active lifestyle.

Seniors’ Sports Day — ActiveX Playdate (1 August)*

Seniors’ Sports Day will take place on 1 August at the Singapore Sports Hub’s OCBC Arena, and provides a platform for seniors to celebrate National Day through active play. The one-day event, now into its fourth year, also marks the first anniversary of ActiveX, an initiative that promotes active ageing as part of the Ministry of Health’s Refreshed Action Plan for Successful Ageing and encourages intergenerational bonding through sport.

This year, almost 2,000 participants, comprising school-going children and seniors from active ageing centres, are expected to come together to participate in modified sports competitions and other sports tryouts. Here, the students will be taking the lead, coaching and supporting the seniors as they compete together in modified sports such as seated volleyball and walking football. Both groups will also come together to test their aim, agility and dexterity in activities such as arcade basketball, air hockey and ladder toss.

Play Inclusive (3 and 17 August)*

Play Inclusive, Singapore’s largest inclusive sports competition, returns for its seventh edition with an expanded variety of sports tailored to a broader range of disabilities. Held over two days (3 and 17 August) at the Singapore Sports Hub, the event fosters community inclusion by creating a platform where friendships are forged and acceptance is cultivated through shared sporting experiences. The Play Inclusive competition marks the culmination of a three-month training period for athletes and their unified partners, featuring over 1,200 participants across two days. This year, the competition introduces five new events to its lineup, including soundball and wheelchair rugby.

For the first time, the event is also open to members of the public (only on 3 August), to participate in inclusive sports such as wheelchair rugby, goalball, football, cycling, floorball, blind running, boccia, shooting and para athletics. This initiative aims to promote greater understanding of persons with disabilities, fostering a more inclusive society. 

Supporting Specific Communities and Interest Groups

In addition to larger scale, mass events that target the entire community, SportSG is also working closely with key partners on events for specific demographics and interest groups. These seek to empower and encourage these communities to pursue active living, even beyond GASG.

Lion City Dance Convention (27 July to 4 August)*

A platform for Singapore’s vibrant street dance community to come together, the Lion City Dance Convention (LCDC) at the Singapore Sports Hub supports the street dance community by providing learning and competition opportunities with renowned dance studios and instructors. Now into its fourth year, LCDC has since become a mainstay in Singapore’s street dance calendar, attracting competitors from not just Singapore, but overseas as well.

During the weekends (27-28 July, 3-4 August), street dancers – both solo and dance crews – will battle it out in street dance styles such as locking, breaking and popping, with competitions across both junior (aged 17 and below) and open categories. On weekdays (29 July to 2 August), dance enthusiasts or those simply looking to dip their toes into the world of street dance can sign up for dance workshops, where they will learn from some of the best street dancers in Singapore, as well as renowned names hailing from Malaysia, Philippines and France.

Nurture Kids Day Out (30 July)*

Nurture Kids Day Out sees a refreshed concept this year. A staple since 2018, the Nurture Kids Festival has been renamed ‘Nurture Kids Day Out’ for the 2024 edition, and this is the first year that SportSG is co-organising the event with a local preschool anchor operator. This allowed early childhood educators to be actively involved in designing the activities, having gone through capability development workshops with SportSG on how to integrate movement as a way of life for preschoolers.

Nurture Kids Day Out is a culmination of all the skills they have gathered, with more than 3,200 preschoolers, educators and parents coming together to experience fun and enjoyable movement and play experiences. Happening on 30 July at OCBC Arena, the event will showcase innovative movement strategies and activity ideas, incorporating National Day elements.

The co-organised event was developed on the back of the ‘Fun Start Move Smart – Learning to Move, Moving to Learn’ Resource Guide, launched by SportSG in August 2023, and the capability development initiatives that early childhood educators use to emphasise the importance of getting children to move anytime, anywhere and throughout the day.

Sport Festival for Youths — Youth@Play (6 August)*

At this all-new annual sport festival for youths, Youth@Play promises an exciting day of sport tryouts and opportunities for participants to showcase their talent. Happening at the Singapore Sports Hub on 6 August, youths aged 16 to 27 will be able to explore new sports experiences, ignite their interest in active sport participation, and socialise with peers.

Sport workshops available for youths to try out include dragon boat and kayak, pickleball, rock climbing and bouldering, skateboarding and street dance.

Celebrate National Day with More Fun and Entertainment at the Singapore Sports Hub

For the second year, Majulah Fiesta features a calendar packed with sporting entertainment and fun at the Singapore Sports Hub, with something for everyone to enjoy.  

 Celebrate all things local at Majulah Fiesta at the Singapore Sports Hub (9 to 11 August)*

From 9 to 11 August, Singaporeans are invited to mark National Day at Majulah Fiesta at the Singapore Sports Hub with the vibrant lineup of free events celebrating all things local.

On National Day, don the nation’s colours and gather your loved ones to watch the live broadcast of the National Day Parade at OCBC Square and Stadium Roar. Catch the “Fly Our Flag” flypast at Stadium Roar before ending the night with a spectacular fireworks display at Stadium Riverside Walk! Be sure to check out crafts by local artisans at the AL!VE Artisans Market at the Visitors Centre from 9 August all through the weekend!

The festivities continue on 10 August with the inaugural Majulah Music Hub, featuring home-grown acts including MIcappella, Ben Hum, Kelvin Chen Wei Lian, Tay Kewei, The Island Voices, and Benjamin Kheng, producer, composer and the voice behind this year’s National Day Parade theme song, “Not Alone”. Rounding off the weekend, on 11 August, have a great workout at the Majulah Fiesta Fitness Party at OCBC Square and hang out with feathered friends at Pets Play Day (Feathers Edition) that morning. You get to interact with the birds and not to be missed is the special parrots aerial display.

Check out the line up to plan your National Day weekend at the Sports Hub https://www.sportshub.com.sg/majulah-fiesta-2024

Live Screenings of 2024 Paris Olympics (27 July to 12 August)*

For those looking to enjoy the spirit of the Olympics and cheer on their favourite athletes with fellow enthusiasts, the Singapore Sports Hub will be hosting free live screenings of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Here, Singaporeans can collectively cheer on the 23 Team Singapore athletes flying high the Singapore flag at events such as swimming, badminton, athletics and fencing.

Live screenings are available daily from 4pm to 8pm on weekdays, and 2pm to 9pm on weekends.

Active Health Community Fitness Challenge (27 July to 9 August)*

From 27 July to 9 August, visitors to Kallang Wave Mall can test their fitness levels at the Active Health Community Fitness Challenge. Through these sport-specific fitness challenges, members of the public can pit their scores against Team Singapore athletes in five key areas of physical fitness – cardiovascular fitness, agility, balance, strength and power – while also learning more about how these components are important for day-to-day living.

Those who complete at least three stations can redeem a free Active Health FitPack (while stocks last), for them to take home and continue their fitness journey. Packed with fun physical challenges that can be done both indoors and outdoors, these FitPacks also include QR codes that can be scanned to learn more about various types of exercises. Through the online platform, users can then select exercises from each of the five areas of physical fitness to curate a personalised, all-rounded exercise circuit. 

Anchored in sport-science and taking an evidence-based approach, the Active Health Community Fitness Challenge serves to educate participants on the different components of health through movement teasers and sporting activities. The challenge will also empower participants and provide them with the skills and resources to better their overall health and fitness.

‘Together We Play’ Interactive Running Game (27 July to 11 August)*

Those enjoying the festivities at the Singapore Sports Hub can also participate in the ‘Together We Play’ interactive running game from 27 July to 11 August at OCBC Square, where real-world running propels an avatar forward, with the goal of collecting as many tokens as possible in 60 seconds. Those who complete the challenge can qualify for a monthly lucky draw to win $100 NTUC e-vouchers.

A campaign by SportSG to encourage Singaporeans to embark on an active and fulfilling lifestyle – physically, mentally and emotionally, ‘Together We Play’ seeks to get more Singaporeans to introduce sport and exercise into their lives, to foster a greater sense of belonging with their community. More activities and initiatives under the ‘Together We Play’ umbrella will be launched in the coming months.

Active Fun for All at GASG 2024

For those looking to celebrate National Day through sport closer to home, other accessible opportunities at the grassroots level are available for everyone to stay active, motivated and lead healthier lives.

Pesta Sukan (6 July to 4 August)

From 6 July to 4 August, Pesta Sukan will feature exciting competitive sports action across more than 30 sports competitions (including eight para sports) and four signature events such as the Vertical Challenge and the Round Island Bike Adventure, promoting camaraderie through friendly competitions and encouraging future generations to live better through sport.

This year’s edition also includes the Pesta Sukan Community Championship, where participants from various districts and neighbourhoods in Singapore come together to celebrate unity and camaraderie through sport. Organised in conjunction with People’s Association (PA), the competition will see teams from different Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) compete and showcase their skills in a wide array of sports such as badminton and pickleball. The Community Championship Final is set to take place on 4 August at the Singapore Sports Hub.

Heartland Festivals (10 August)

SportSG will host sport and Active Health activities within the five National Day Heartland Festivals, organised by PA in partnership with the NDP 2024 Executive Committee. Taking place on 10 August from 4pm to 9pm at Bishan, Punggol, Yishun, Paya Lebar and Buona Vista, visitors to the festivals can enjoy a wide range of sport activities such as sport try-outs, fitness challenges, traditional kampung games, and inclusive sports activities. Participants can also dance their hearts out to the vibrant beats and colourful movements of the Dance of the Nation 2024 workout.

The Active Health Community Fitness Challenge, where visitors can test their fitness levels through sport-specific fitness challenges, will also be available for the public to try out.

For more information on GASG 2024, please visit https://www.activesgcircle.gov.sg/getactive-singapore.

*A Majulah Fiesta event/initiative taking place at Singapore Sports Hub.