NUS students celebrate tradition to uplift communities through creativity and service at NUSSU RAG & Flag Day 2025

Aug 18, 2025

Students from Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine dazzled the crowd with their winning performance at NUSSU RAG & Flag Day 2025, blending vibrant storytelling, handcrafted costumes, and sustainability in action.

From cheering crowds to intricately crafted floats, NUSSU RAG & Flag Day 2025 lit up University Town Green on 8 August 2025, celebrating the enduring spirit of creativity, connection, and community at NUS.

The lively showcase marked the culmination of the 67th edition of NUSSU RAG & Flag Day —one of NUS’ longest-standing student-led traditions, which dates back to 1958. Themed “Connecting Beyond Horizons”, this year’s event paid tribute to two milestone anniversaries—NUS’ 120th anniversary and Singapore’s 60th birthday—while rallying students to build bridges, uplift lives, and give back meaningfully to society to bring hope and transformation to the future.

A legacy of giving

The RAG & Flag tradition started with two Flag Days on 26 July and 2 August, where more than 1,500 NUS students fanned out across Singapore with donation tins to raise funds in aid of critical programmes run by 16 Social Service Agencies (SSAs) that are supported by Community Chest. They raised close to $260,000 this year, with all funds going directly towards uplifting communities in need through the Community Chest. The amount raised would also enable S$1.50 government matching for every dollar donated, yielding even more funds for the beneficiaries.

Over the past 16 years, the initiative has collectively raised nearly S$4.9 million, reflecting the enduring impact of student-led service at NUS.

For Sivakumar Nandhana, a first-year student at the NUS Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Flag Day offered a moment of reflection and purpose. “We often focus on our careers and personal lives, rarely stopping to consider what others in our community need. Flag Day is my little way of helping those in my community It is also an opportunity to meet like-minded people who also care for the society,” she said.

Li Jie, from the NUS Faculty of Dentistry, added, “It’s really heartwarming to see people donate so willingly and I enjoy being a part of such a meaningful activity.”

Students from the College of Alice & Peter Tan rallied support from residents at Ang Mo Kio during NUSSU Flag Day 2025.

Eunice Tan (first from right), a first-year Global Studies major from the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, volunteered to join Flag Day, as she felt it was a fun and meaningful way to connect with the community around her.

Zi Yang (left) from NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine took time out of preparing for RAG Day to raise funds for their beneficiary, Autism Resource Centre (Singapore).

A vibrant showcase of gratitude and sustainability

As part of RAG Day, nearly 2,000 students from across the University staged 14 dazzling performances to express their gratitude to the community for its generous support. Each performance was choreographed and produced entirely by students, featuring handmade costumes, mobile floats, and thematic props constructed primarily from recycled materials—in line with the zero-waste challenge promoting sustainable practices.

Gracing the event as Guest-of-Honour was Mr Ong Ye Kung, Minister for Health and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies.

The official launch of NUSSU RAG Day was witnessed by Guest-of-Honour Minister for Health and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies Mr Ong Ye Kung, NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye, NUSSU President Mr Sean Pang and his committee members, as well as project directors from the participating colleges, faculties, schools and hostels.

Speaking at the official launch of NUSSU RAG and Flag Day 2025, NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye commended the passion, creativity and dedication of NUS students in upholding this proud university tradition.

“This year’s RAG and Flag keeps alive the time-honoured tradition of student-led fundraising and the exciting showcase of student performances as a vibrant finale to freshmen orientation season. As we continue the fine legacy of giving back to the community and encourage our students to make positive footprints on society, the vivid stories brought to life through the performances remind us that we are vitally connected, and together, we can inspire hope, uplift communities and drive meaningful change. We look forward to starting the new Academic Year with meaningful anticipation and purpose as NUS celebrates our 120th anniversary and Singapore marks 60 years of nation-building. As a university founded in 1905 by the community, for the community, we will continue to serve our country and society with dedication and passion,” he said.

Students from the NUS Faculty of Science put up an energetic performance, cheered on enthusiastically by their peers and supporters.

Behind the scenes, each performance was the result of months of planning, collaboration and tireless effort. Student teams poured their creativity into every detail—from float engineering and set design to costume-making and lighting—all while embracing sustainable practices.

Jasper Ang, a Year 2 Computer Science student and Creative Director for this year’s Raffles Hall RAG said, “From floats to costumes, everything was upcycled. Materials that couldn’t be used for design were repurposed for functionality, such as linings and backings. In Hall, we often have events involving cooking, so we incorporated egg cartons that we had collected, to add texture to our float. We also reused fabric from last year, and some hallmates even contributed their old clothes, giving the costumes a unique and personal flair."

For their creativity in transforming discarded material into a float masterpiece, Raffles Hall received a Zero Waste Effort Award, along with Faculty of Science.

Students from the Pharmaceutical Society won the Zero Waste Best Effort Award – a special recognition for their extraordinary commitment to sustainability, sourcing nearly all their cardboard from campus waste and reusing metal structures from previous years.

The floats and props, crafted largely from recycled and repurposed materials, served as powerful visual anchors for the performances. More than stage décor, they told meaningful stories of resilience, hope and unity. The performers in handcrafted costumes brought each segment to life in a vibrant fusion of artistry, sustainability and purpose.

Speaking of his experience participating in RAG and Flag as a float builder, first-year NUS Law student Matthew Lim said, “You never know where you would go, if you don’t go there. I loved being part of RAG – I found new perspective and friends!”.

A celebration of community

Alongside the main showcase, a lively Flag Carnival brought the campus to life with games, food and handicraft booths run by student groups and hostels. An energetic performance by the NUS Cheerleading Team, Alpha Verve, added to the festive spirit.

Mr Sean Pang, President of the 46th Executive Committee of NUSSU, shared, “Building on this year’s theme, “Connecting Beyond Horizons”, we pushed boundaries and explored new ways to improve RAG and Flag. Leveraging digital payments, we customised 22 PayNow QR codes and collaborated with both NUS Sustainability Strategy Unit and NUS SAVE (Students’ Association for Visions of the Earth) to bolster our recycling efforts. All these would not have been possible without the hard work of our fellow students in each participating body, the RAG and Flag Committee, internal and external stakeholders, and the public who have supported us every step of the way.”

Rag and Flag Day is an incredible effort of students coming together to fundraise for a good cause. If you're inspired to make a difference too, you can open doors for students to enjoy such meaningful experiences at NUS through the Enhanced Financial Aid Scheme. Make a gift of any amount today via Give.NUS.

With the incredible support from the NUS community, members of the public and corporate partners, NUS students raised close to S$260,000 in support of critical programmes under 16 Social Service Agencies supported by Community Chest Singapore. NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye (left) and NUSSU President Mr Sean Pang (right) presented the cheque to Managing Director of Community Chest, Mr Jack Lim.

Highlights from RAG & Flag 2025

Overall RAG & Flag winner: