Happy 40th Birthday to Merlion !

The Merlion, an iconic landmark for both locals and international visitors, celebrated her 40th Birthday on 15th September 2012! The Merlion that is now in her current location at Merlion Park, was first built as an eight-metre tall sculpture in 1972 at the mouth of the Singapore River to “welcome all visitors to Singapore”. Growing up, I would remember the Merlion standing proudly at the Singapore River mouth overlooking the Marina Bay.

On 15 September 2002, the Merlion was moved to its current location at Merlion Park next to One Fullerton, and now overlooks the beautiful scenic Marina Bay area. The Merlion iconic landmark stands out even further with the transformation of Marina Bay into a vibrant and exciting hub for leisure and business. The Merlion although 40 years old, is still well loved by many and easily recognised by visitors from abroad.

As part of her 40th birthday celebrations, the Merlion went through a careful restoration and reopened to welcome her friends during her birthday month. Visitors and friends to The Merlion were treated to a beautiful light up consisting of a 7-minute display of dazzling light projections, sound, and pyrotechnics, showcasing how the Merlion touches the lives of Singaporeans and visitors growing up over the years and visiting The Merlion.

During the display performances at various timings, there were many people there to celebrate The Merlion’s birthday, both locals and visitors alike. We even sang a birthday song for The Merlion too and it was really nice to see The Merlion blushing! I was there for the 830pm and 915pm light show timings, capturing The Merlion’s birthday celebrations from two different locations to get a few perspectives and beautiful landscapes of The Merlion, Merlion Park and Marina Bay. I spotted Darryl and Nelson at The Merlion’s birthday celebration too! Do check out more photographs of The Merlion’s birthday at my Flickr collection!

Here’s wishing to our iconic Merlion ~ Happy 40th Birthday !!


Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

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