Gender reveal parties get creative with drone shows, lion dances

Gender reveal parties, where soon to-be parents learn or reveal the sex of their baby, are arguably just an excuse for a celebration with an abundance of gender stereotypes thrown into the mix - such as pink cupcakes for girls or blue balloons for boys.

- Yamini Chinnuswamy

They have also trended towards the increasingly absurd in the last few years, so much so that gender reveal party parodies are now an entire sub-genre on social media platforms like TikTok.

A few recent examples in Singapore made headlines for being extravagant - but also unusual and creative.

Socialite and beauty entrepreneur Kim Lim threw a luxurious yacht party on Bangkok's Chao Phraya River in early August to celebrate her birthday, and also to reveal the sex of her baby to her guests via a massive drone show.

Lim, 33, is said to be five months pregnant after going through rounds of in-vitro fertilisation. The father of her unborn child and her due date are unknown.

The bash culminated in a fireworks sequence that could rival the recent National Day Parade on Aug 9, and an extensive visual display involving more than 600 drones.

Videos posted by Lim and event planner Lelian Chew showed the drones forming various messages and images, including "Happy Birthday Kim Lim", and a baby dragon - perhaps an oblique reference to the baby being born within the current Year of the Dragon, according to the Chinese zodiac.