Senior government officials, members of the diplomatic community, business executives, US exchange programme alumni, media representatives, and other invited guests also attended the celebrations.

The ceremony began with the national anthems of Brunei and the US being played by Jerudong International School (JIS) student Shana Holmes and the JIS Saxophone Chamber Group.

The US Ambassador spoke of how people-to-people connections had energised and added special meaning to the relationships between Brunei and the US. These ties were illustrated by the many Bruneians who raised their hands when the ambassador asked who had studied in the US, participated in exchange programmes, or trained with the US military.

The night also saw US Ambassador present a State University of New York at Albany T-Shirt to the Minister of Education, who earned his Master’s Degree there.

A special exhibition on Bioinspired Sensing Technologies, a collaborative project between Universiti Brunei Darussalam and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the US was also showcased.