Orchard Road gets first branded light-up in 35-year history

Singapore’s Orchard Road Business Association (ORBA) has partnered The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia for what it claims to be the “first branded Light-Up” in the event’s 35-year history. The partnership is also said to be Disney’s largest Christmas street Light-Up in Southeast Asia.Called “Disney Magical Moments”, the campaign is part of a three-year collaboration between STB and Disney. Christmas on A Great Street 2018 is supported by STB’s Leisure Events Fund. Hitachi Asia meanwhile, which has been sponsoring the event for 28 years, will return as the main sponsor, the statement added.Following the move, Singapore’s shopping belt will be decked out in renowned characters from Disney and Disney-Pixar, including Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, Elsa and Woody. The campaign also looks to produce “Instagram-worthy opportunities” of life-sized set pieces featuring iconic Disney characters.This will culminate in four distinct zones taking on different Disney themes – Disney Princess (Tanglin Mall to Shaw House), Mickey Mouse and Friends (ION Orchard to Mandarin Gallery), Frozen (313@somerset to Orchard Central), and Toy Story (Orchard Central to Plaza Singapura). The centrepiece this year is a glittery main arch featuring selected 3D Disney characters at the Orchard Road-Paterson Road junction.The move covers the 2.88-kilometre stretch of Orchard Road, from Tanglin Mall to Plaza Singapura from 10 November 2018 to 1 January 2019. Malls such as Orchard Central and Wheelock Place will also be decorated in Disney-themed décor, the statement added.[gallery link="file" ids="234430,234431,234432,234433,234435,234436"]Other notable partnerships ORBA has struck for the Christmas season this year includes Timbre Group. This will see the creation of a Timbre X Food Village comprising food kiosks operated by local brands such as New Ubin Seafood and Two Wings. The village will also feature a Craft Beer Bar and nightly live performances by artistes from Timbre Music Academy at The Great Christmas Village.On top of food, ORBA will also bring back popular pop-up stores from brands such as UNIQLO, Häagen Dazs, OWNDAYS and OPPO. This is in a bid to provide experiential shopping experiences for visitors as they market their products through unique, interactive displays and activities. Other partnerships include Mastercard, which will provide Christmas Rewards to shoppers for the sixth year with promotions and chances for shoppers to win shopping vouchers.Hitachi Asia will continue to lend its support by setting up a Santa House which allows children to participate in arts and crafts activities for free, along with Meet & Greet Santa Claus sessions. According to Kojin Nakakita, chairman of Hitachi Asia, the company will also jointly organise a Hitachi plays Santa with ORBA and The Food Bank Singapore which looks benefit 100 families. This is part of a corporate social responsibility initiative and builds on Hitachi’s yearly charity donation to Community Chest tied with our Christmas Light-Up sponsorship.“We are grateful for the support of our sponsors, especially Hitachi Asia and Mastercard, which have made the Light-Up possible year after year. Hitachi Asia, in particular, has contributed much in the last 28 years and the Orchard Road business community owes a great debt to them for their unwavering partnership,” Mark Shaw, chairman of ORBA, added.