Istana Open House (Chinese New Year 2009 )

The Istana, Singapore's official residence for her President is always open to the public on public holidays. My Dear and I visited Istana on its open house on 27 Feb 09, the second day of the Chinese New Year.

We reached Istana at around 5pm, as it was one of our last stops on a day filled with visits of musuems on their open houses too. The crowd to Istana has reduced significantly by this time of the day, as evidenced by the queue line at the entrance of the Istana.

Security was watertight at Istana, needlessly to say and visitors were subject to screenings of both bodies and belongings. The Istana is open free to Singaporean citizens and Permanent Residents while foreigners have to pay a nominal charge of $1; with all proceeds going to charity.

There were also many make-shift stalls set up in Istana, selling a buffet of memorabilia with all proceeds going to charity organizations.


The Istana is like a giant park with vast sprawling compounds. Familes, relatives and friends have a leisurely stroll on the Istana grounds despites experiencing the heat of the blazing sun.

After some tens of minutes of strolling, like the other visitors, my Dear and I reached the Istana house, a marble-white colonial building. There was a crowd at the entrance of the house as there were some performances being staged for the President and his family, guests and visitors.


I managed to catch a glimpse of the affable President of Singapore, Mr Nathan and his family enjoying the show. The Istana open house is such an enriching visit for Singaporeans!