Singapore River Cruises & Leisure, which runs the popular Bumboat Cruises, hopes that the development of the Singapore River Festival will lead to a "more colourful, lively and vibrant" waterway like the bustling trading port Singapore River used to be.

Mr Png Yiow Beng, Managing Director, said, "The Singapore River is an attractive must-see destination with many exciting experiences to offer and it is fantastic that STB has developed the Singapore River Festival to showcase this precious gem for locals and visitors to discover."

The company is staging the "Legenda Singapura", a float parade which will bring to life the history of the river, during the Festival.

As one of the pioneers of the Singapore River, Mr Png said the company wanted to "share these exciting stories about our island with visitors and locals to make the event more meaningful".

"It is also important for the Singapore River Festival to have a water component which is the passion and forte of Singapore River Cruises & Leisure and Splash Entertainment."

Legenda Singapura, he said, would be "a water and land extravaganza featuring the old diesel bumboats that have played a crucial role in Singapore's economic development from trading port to the financial hub she is today".

"We will be transforming our bumboats into dazzling river floats. We will re-tell the legend of Singapura through a highly visual dance drama - featuring glittering costumes, catchy music and multiple artistic genres. We will be combining traditional and contemporary elements to reflect our Uniquely Singapore personality."

He added, "We are starting on a modest scale and hope to grow the event for future years and perhaps introduce different water concepts and experiences."

Mr Png lauded the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) for "involving the various stakeholders along the river and the local community. This has culminated in a showcase of the history, culture as well as the bustling activities along Singapore River."

He called for an open mind however to allow the festival to grow and flourish through "experimentation" and "trial and error".

"For the first few years, Singapore River Festival will be a test bed for new ideas and there will inevitably be a lot of experimentation.

"It is important to have an open mind, positive spirit, continual support and commitment to make the festival work - many world-class events took years and even decades to get their formula right and achieve the success they enjoy today. What works in overseas festivals might not work for the Singapore context. So we will have to allow for some trial and error in the process.

"We will need to go through that learning curve for Singapore River Festival too and find our own footing. All experiences, even the negative ones are important in paving the way and leading us to the final goal of a successful iconic event that will attract visitors from all over the world to Singapore and that locals look forward to every year."