Panagbenga Festival - Grand Parade

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I’ve been visiting Baguio City since I was a kid, but never did I experience the event which made the city famous for - the Panagbenga Flower Festival.

During the month of February, tourists from all parts of the country go up north, not just to feel the cold breeze of Baguio ambiance but also to witness the month-long colorful celebration.

This year, I seized the chance to fulfill yet another entry in my travel wish list. Together with my office pals, we wrestled with the Friday’s night traffic, and dozed off the five -hour journey or so just to get to the City of Pines.

At 2am, Saturday morning, just as some vendors were just wrapping the day off, we were already in Burnham Park, searching for a decent place to park. With nothing to do, guess we were too early for the activities yet to start later, we strolled along Legarda hoping to catch some late night clubbing. We literally jumped out of the van when we saw that Brownman Revival has a gig on Alberto’s. Unfortunately, we were an hour late for their last set.

Backpackers as we are, we just settled on the van, and decided to save our energy for later. We attended the 6am mass at the Baguio Cathedral, and then took our breakfast at a fastfood chain along Session Road. As early as 7am, there were already a handful of spectators waiting for the grand parade.

At around 8am, the 4 - hour parade kicked-off with a band playing an upbeat melody. Various participants from different schools all over the region showcased the rich and colorful traditions of the Ifugao region. Everybody seems excited as the participants demonstrated their energetic moves tagged with their lively faces amidst the exhausting leg of the parade.

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