Hong Lim Park



Hong Lim Park (芳林公园; Fānglín Gōngyuán) is a 0.94 ha heritage park in Singapore that is "the only venue in Singapore where public protests are allowed".

History
Created by Hokkien businessman and philanthropist Cheang Hong Lim in 1885, Hong Lim Park was the first public garden in Singapore. It was the venue for many election rallies and political speeches in the 1950s and 1960s.

It was selected by the government as the venue for Speakers' Corner in September 2000. Since then, it is the only place in Singapore where one can legally stage public protests. In early 2013, two protests against the government's immigration policies each drew more than 350 people, and in June 2014, about 20 people protested the Central Provident Fund (CPF), Singapore's state-run pension fund.

Since 2009, it has been the home of the annual LGBT rights event Pink Dot.

Geography
It is bounded by North Canal Road, South Bridge Road, Upper Pickering Street and New Bridge Road. Telok Ayer Hong Lim Green Community Centre and the Kreta Ayer Neighbourhood Police Post lie adjacent to the park. Adjacent to the park are the Telok Ayer Hong Lim Green Community Centre and the Kreta Ayer Neighbourhood Police Post.

Getting there
By bus:
 * Bus services 186 and 970 are available at Upper Pickering Street.
 * Bus services 2, 12, 33, 54, 147, 190, CT 28 are available at New Bridge Road.
 * Bus services 2, 12, 33, 51, 61, 63, 80, 174, 174e, 197, 961, 961C, CT 28 are available at Eu Tong Sen Street at Exit A of Clarke Quay MRT Station.