What comes to your mind when you hear the word Baguio? Upon asking a few people, the majority of them often mentioned its cool climate, strawberries, flowers, and mountains. What struck us the most was the mention of the word “creative”. Apparently, Baguio’s creativity is continuously gaining its popularity and plenty of people are visiting the city to experience the festivals, and to visit buskers and artists on Session Road during Sundays. For those who love culture and the arts, Baguio City definitely became a part of their bucket list, and the best way to show you why is through its wide range of festivals.
Baguio City being one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Philippines, continues to fascinate locals and tourists not only through its cool climate, sumptuous cuisines, and magnificent attractions, but also because of the additional colors that it brings through its festivals. Festivals in Baguio City highlight different topics and categories, but are all centered on promoting the love for local culture and handicrafts by artisans. The name of one of the famous festivals in Baguio is, of course, the ever-famous Flower Festival or the Panagbenga Festival, conducted last February 1st to March 5th of 2023. The word “Panagbenga” is derived from a Kankanaey phrase that means “Season of Blooming”. This celebration commemorates the culture, values, and history of Baguio and the Cordilleras. After the celebration of the Baguio Flower Festival came the Montañosa Film Festival, with the opening gala being held recently last March 5, 2023, which aimed to promote Baguio’s image as a haven for independent filmmakers, establishing the city as a hub for cinematic interpretations in line with international and domestic trends. During the Moñtanosa Film Festival, film camps and workshops are being hosted for filmmakers and aspiring filmmakers, directors from Manila were brought in to share their experiences and knowledge about filmmaking.
Also highlighting arts and crafts is the Ibag-iw Creative Festival happening during the month of November, and this festival usually includes exhibitions of local arts and crafts and it also provides a venue for local artists to go beyond the box and to continuously explore art. Another festival would be the Mangan Taku Food Festival which takes you to an astounding gastronomic adventure emphasizing Cordilleran Cuisine. Apart from appreciating Cordilleran cuisine, this food festival is also a great way to preserve traditions for it to be passed on from generations to generations. Lastly, we have the Saleng (Pine Tree) Festival which encourages the citizens of Baguio to be proactive partners of the city government in its urban forest stewardship program.
All of the aforementioned festivals indeed show why Baguio City is hailed as a Creative City as these festivals showcase arts and crafts in different variations such as handmade products, drawings and paintings, flower making and arrangement, food, film, and love for the environment. Creativity can truly be seen everywhere in Baguio City, and through these festivals, the streets are extra bright and filled with magnificent colors. Indeed, Breathe.. Culture, Breathe..Arts, Breathe…..Baguio.
Contributors: Edith Jane Chloe T. Elegado, Jubal Kurt C. Salbino, Lyra Megan C. Marrero
