The Padang

The Padang is the open playing field in front of the Former City Hall and Former Supreme Court, which house National Gallery Singapore, bounded by Connaught Drive, St Andrew's Road and Stamford Road in the Downtown Core, and on 9 August 2022 it became Singapore's 75th national monument and the first green open space on the list. Raffles meant the space to stay in public use. It appears on the 1828 Jackson Plan as the Open Square and was called the Plain and the Esplanade before the name Padang, Malay for field, took hold around 1907. Key moments in Singapore's history took place here, including the victory parade of 12 September 1945, the self-government rally of 3 June 1959, the Malaysia proclamation of 16 September 1963 and the first National Day Parade in 1966.

Cricket is the game most linked with the field, played on its southwestern end, with the Singapore Cricket Club and the Singapore Recreation Club at opposite ends. Since a decision in 1995, the National Day Parade returns to the Padang every five years, and the field also hosts events such as the Singapore Cricket Club International Rugby Sevens and the Singapore Marathon, while the Singapore Grand Prix circuit passes along St Andrew's Road. A footpath across the Padang gives the public access at all times. City Hall MRT station is the nearest stop, a few minutes' walk north, and Esplanade station is close by on the Circle Line.