HIDDEN.sg race at Katong-Joo Chiat helps kick off series of national heritage activities
Racing against time, more than 350 participants in 124 teams scoured the nooks and crannies of the Katong-Joo Chiat neighbourhood to seek out and uncover hidden gems for a HIDDEN.sg game on April 20.
On a warm afternoon, the contestants braved the heat and humidity to unravel clues sent to them over the phone by the Void Deck Cat virtual character. Up for grabs: A top prize of S$800 for the first team to solve all the clues hidden across various locations in the area.
In the end, a team called “4 chairs” were the first to solve all the riddles after exploring and uncovering clues in one of Singapore’s most iconic neighbourhoods.
Four other teams also walked away with prize money of varying amounts, for coming in the top five in the race. The HIDDEN.sg @ Katong-Joo Chiat Race: Festival Race Edition was part of a day of festivities that helped kick off a series of national heritage activities in Singapore.
HIDDEN.sg was a partner for the first Heritage Activation Node (HAN) launched by the National Heritage Board (NHB) to empower communities to celebrate and champion the heritage of their neighbourhoods.
HAN @ Katong-Joo Chiat marked the first in a series of HANs which will be introduced in various neighbourhoods from this year, with each unique and tailored to the needs and characters of these neighbourhoods.
To kickstart things in the morning, Minister for Manpower, Dr Tan See Leng, led a walkabout of Katong-Joo Chiat as a “tour guide” to introduce the various highlights of the neighbourhood.
A Member of Parliament for the area, he shared with the media and community leaders some of its interesting features, including the location’s many characteristic alleyways and the history behind them.
Around 1pm, the HIDDEN.sg race kicked off at Haig Road Market & Food Centre, with contestants all raring to go. Families young and old turned up, as did teams of colleagues and friends, ready for an afternoon of adventure.
After about two hours, the first teams started crossing the virtual finishing line. Others took a more leisurely approach, with some spending more than three to four hours on the road to explore the area.
We are not revealing details of the heritage trail so we don’t ruin the surprise for folks who wish to play the game.
Yes, even though the race is over, the adventure can be explored in a non-competitive way to discover a colourful part of Singapore brimming with hidden gems.
Simply sign up for the HiddenSG @ Katong-Joo Chiat Game at https://hidden.sg/products/han-katong-joo-chiat
