SINGAPORE, June 15, 2017 - (Antara) - Gardens by the Bay, Singapore's horticultural-themed attraction renowned for its Supertrees and cooled conservatories, celebrates its fifth anniversary in June this year.
Built on land reclaimed from the sea, Gardens by the Bay opened in June 2012. Five years on, it remains unique in the region as the only garden to combine nature with cutting-edge engineering and technology, to create an environment to showcase plants from all over the world. Situated in the nation's bustling city centre, the Gardens ranks No. 1 on Tripadvisor's list of attractions in Singapore.
The objective of Gardens by the Bay has always been to reach out to an audience beyond nature lovers, and through the years, the Gardens has differentiated itself from the competition by breaking away from botanical conventions.
This broad appeal is reflected in the visitor numbers. Visitorship hit one million less than two months after the Gardens opened, and has increased steadily since. To date, the Gardens has welcomed more than 34 million visitors.
Both locals and tourists visit the Gardens, with Malaysia, Indonesia, India, China and Australia being among the top overseas markets.
- Pushing the Boundaries of Botanical Possibilities
There are close to 1.5 million plants in Gardens by the Bay today. The Supertrees take the concept of vertical greening to new heights, with more than 158,000 plants growing on 18 steel trees that range in height between 25 metres and 50 metres.
The two Cooled Conservatories, Flower Dome and Cloud Forest, reverse the concept of the typical greenhouse by providing a cool environment for plants. There are more than 72,000 plants from Tropical Montane regions in the cool-moist Cloud Forest. In the cool-dry Flower Dome, there are more than 28,000 plants from the Mediterranean and semi-arid regions.
The Flower Dome has showcased 35 floral displays to date. These floral displays are an example of how green technology combined with human ingenuity makes possible what is otherwise unimaginable in the botanical world - making temperate plants bloom in a tropical climate. Be it dahlias, tulips or cherry blossoms, these flowers have bloomed in Singapore, thanks to the climate-controlled Flower Dome, where it is perpetually spring.
The floral display in celebration of the Gardens' fifth anniversary is Blue Beauties, where flowers in various shades of blue, like agapanthus, hydrangeas and delphiniums - true spectrum blue being one of the most uncommon colours in the Plant Kingdom - take centrestage until June 30.
- New Attractions through the Years
The Supertrees and Cooled Conservatories, along with the Outdoor Gardens, have been the highlights of Gardens by the Bay since Day One, but new attractions have also opened in the last five years. In line with Gardens by the Bay's objective to be a garden for all, the majority of these attractions are free for the public to enjoy.
In 2014, the Far East Organization Children's Garden opened to the public. The Sun Pavilion, a display of cacti in the outdoors, also opened in the same year. With the Sun Pavilion, Gardens by the Bay owns the largest collection of cacti and succulents in Southeast Asia.
In 2015, Singapore's largest and only Floral Clock was launched in collaboration with watchmaker Audemars Piguet.
The newest attraction at Gardens by the Bay is rock garden The Canyon, which opened last year and features more than 60 unique rock forms amidst plants from arid regions.
- Diverse Events for a Broad Audience
To date, there have been more than 1,000 events held at Gardens by the Bay. These events are varied in nature, and appeal to a wide spectrum of visitors beyond just nature lovers. The lineup to date this year includes indie music festival St. Jerome Laneway Festival, Asia's largest night run the Sundown Marathon and Star Wars Day: May the 4th Be With You.
Gardens by the Bay also organises its own flagship events, and many of them are free for the public. In March, life-sized dinosaur sculptures were brought into the Supertree Grove for the annual Children's Festival, while come December, visitors can look forward to the Gardens' transformation into a Christmas Wonderland.
The Garden Rhapsody sound and light show, where lights on the 12 Supertrees at the Supertree Grove dance according to music twice every evening, is refreshed constantly. There have been 20 different renditions of the Garden Rhapsody so far, which range from a nostalgic medley of well-loved Asian songs, to popular Broadway tunes, to a Star Wars-themed edition.
Gardens by the Bay recently celebrated its fifth anniversary on June 3 and 4. Among the highlights of the festivities was the Gardens Extravaganza Special, where the Supertree Grove became the stage for a multimedia show featuring dancers, aerial performers, fire twirlers, acrobats, dramatic video mapping and special effects on a scale never seen before at the Gardens.
For the rest of the month of June, a fifth anniversary edition of the Garden Rhapsody sound and light show is on at the Supertree Grove twice every evening. The show, Gardens Extravaganza, features video mapping on the Supertrees and an all-new musical soundtrack.
For more information, visit www.gardensbythebay.com.sg
For media queries on Gardens by the Bay and the events lined up for this year, please contact:
Hsu Lin
Ninemer Public Relations P L
DID: +65 6534 9929
HP: +65 9720 6119
Email: hsulin@ninemer.com
Bernice Koh
Ninemer Public Relations P L
DID: +65 6534 9959
HP: +65 9837 1184
Email: bernicekoh@ninemer.com
Images:
1. Infographic on Gardens by the Bay's milestones since its inception in 2012 -- http://bit.ly/2rgqKyF
2. Burst of flames are projected from the OCBC Skyway and at the ground level of the Supertree Grove during the Gardens Extravaganza Special on June 3 and 4 in celebration of Gardens by the Bay's 5th anniversary -- http://bit.ly/2tlcOny
3. The two cooled conservatories, Cloud Forest (left) and Flower Dome (right), in Gardens by the Bay --
http://bit.ly/2t1e7Jf
About Gardens by the Bay
An integral part of Singapore's "City in a Garden" vision, Gardens by the Bay spans a total of 101 hectares of prime land at the heart of Singapore's new downtown - Marina Bay. Comprising three waterfront gardens - Bay South, Bay East and Bay Central - Gardens by the Bay will be a showcase of horticulture and garden artistry that will bring the world of plants to Singapore and present Singapore to the World. Bay South, the largest at 54 hectares, officially opened on 29 June 2012.
Gardens by the Bay was started as a project by the National Parks Board. It has since grown to become an independent organisation responsible for developing and managing what will be Asia's foremost garden destination.
The Gardens has garnered numerous awards and accolades, including the 2015 Guinness World Record for "Largest Glass Greenhouse", "Best Theme Attraction" at the TTG Travel Awards in 2015 and 2016, and "Best Attraction (Asia Pacific)" at the Travel Weekly Asia Reader's Choice Awards in 2015 and 2016. It also received the prestigious "Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement" in 2014 from the Themed Entertainment Association. For its sustainable design and practices, it was conferred the "President's Design Award 2013" in Singapore and "World Building of the Year" at the World Architecture Festival 2012.
For more information, visit www.gardensbythebay.com.sg
Reporter: PR Wire
Editor: PR Wire
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
