Festival’s play a big part in boosting tourism in the Philippines, as this brings local and foreign visitors together. One of the grandest and most attended festival in the country is the Panagbenga Festival.
Panagbenga Festival or Flower Festival is a month-long celebration of flowers held in Baguio City, Benguet. The term is of Kankanaey(indigenous people of Northern Philippines) origin, meaning “season of blooming”.
This was the very first festival that I have seen in the Philippines and I just fell in love with what our country has to offer; smiles and cultural heritage. I have been witnessing this event for the last 4 years and I still can’t get enough of it.
The festival commences every 1st of February and lasts until the first week of March. Several activities are scheduled throughout the month, from flower expositions, landscape design contests, and this year the PMA alumni homecoming was also held.
The main highlight of this festivity is the Grand Street Dance and the Grand Float parades. Unlike the Pasadena Rose parade, several species of flowers are used to cover the floats.
Television networks such as ABS-CBN and GMA Network have been participating every year sending their celebrities to entertain the tourist and even the locals.
After the Grand parades, the strip of Session Road is closed out in preparation for “Session In Bloom“. It is one whole week of exhibiting what the CAR(Cordillera Autonomous Region) has to offer. They exhibit all product lines that Baguio City and other nearby provinces are proud of. Closing ceremonies will follow right after this week’s Session in Bloom with a beautiful fireworks display.
