Expect road closures, bus route changes if you're headed to Orchard Road on Dec 24 for the street party

This year's Orchard Road Christmas light-up, officially called Christmas On A Great Street, has been well underway since Nov 16. In addition to dazzling lights, visitors can also visit three Great Christmas Villages during this period.

Soon, another component of Christmas On A Great Street will happen: The first-ever Christmas Eve street party.

Taking place on Dec 24, the street party will see dance performances, Christmas carolling, Santa meet-and-greet sessions, a Christmas Market, food trucks and a countdown to Christmas from 8pm to 12.30am along Orchard Road.

Before you attend the street party, do take note of a few road closures and bus route changes that will happen on Dec 24.

The following roads will be closed to all vehicular traffic from 6pm on Sunday, Dec 24 to 2am on Monday, Dec 25:

• Orchard Road (between Scotts Road and Bideford Road)
• Slip road leading from Scotts Road into Orchard Road
• The carriageway of Mount Elizabeth in the direction of Orchard Road (between Nutmeg Road and Orchard Road) 

Furthermore, SBS Transit has announced that their bus services will skip the following stops:

• Orchard Station, Tang Plaza. Bus stop code: 09047
• Orchard Station, Lucky Plaza. Bus stop code: 09048
• Paterson Road, Opposite Orchard Station Exit 12. Bus stop code: 13191

Once you've taken note of that, here are the other activities you can expect at this year's iteration of Christmas On A Great Street:

1. CHRISTMAS LIGHT-UP

This year's light-up stretches from Orchard Road to the area outside Plaza Singapura, and has a dreamy theme – complete with LED cloud installations, teddy bears and candy canes. Organisers also aim to further reduce their carbon footprint this year by "repurposing past years’ LED lights and decor, and installing solar panels to harness renewable energy for two Christmas set pieces".

2. CHRISTMAS VILLAGES

There are three Great Christmas Villages this year, filled with carnival rides, games, pop-up stores and food kiosks. 

The first of the three Christmas Villages is at Shaw House Urban Plaza till Jan 7, and features a double-storey carousel and a Ferris wheel.

The second one is at Plaza Singapura till Jan 1, and has a giant bouncy castle, a balloon dome, craft workshops by Kiztopia. 

The third Christmas Village is at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza till Jan 1, and has a Euro Swing ride, an arcade, food trucks and live performances by local buskers and bands.

3. OUTDOOR AR PROJECTIONS

Fans of augmented reality (AR) projections can head outside Hilton Singapore Orchard for a 3D illustration on the hotel's facade. Other AR displays can also be found on any of the 25 glass panels lining the pedestrian walkway from ION Orchard to Mandarin Gallery. 

In a statement to the press, Orchard Road Business Association Chairman Mr Mark Shaw said: “We hope that Singaporeans, visitors and residents will be as excited as we are with our plans for Christmas On A Great Street. It is a milestone year and we want everyone to have a fantastic time as they celebrate the season of joy, peace and goodwill to all."