BAGUIO CITY – The Philippines’ premier summer destination, Baguio City, is all primed and ready for this year’s Panagbenga 2009 (The Baguio City Flower Festival). Promising a "big event…to be done on a grand scale", Baguio Country Club GM Anthony De Leon, who is concurrent Executive Chairman of the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation, Inc. (BFFFI), said this year’s festivities will be grander in terms of community participation, events and activities.
The Grand Opening is scheduled on February 1, with the traditional opening day parade down historic Session Road, including the much anticipated Street Dancing competition. A free concert, headlined by the Manila-based all-female group "Sani Pilif", will be held at the Melvin Jones Football Field at 6PM, before concluding the day’s event with a fireworks display on Burnham Park.
The traditional "Market Encounter", will begin on February 1 and will run throughout the course of the festivities. A fluvial parade will be held on Valentine’s Day at Burnham Park Lake, which includes performances from circus acts and a fireworks show in the evening.
A million local and foreign visitors are expected to flock to this mountain city for the festivities, and the bulk of them are expected to arrive in time for the major events, which will run from February 26 until March 8. Abanao Nights, a series of open-air concerts along Abanao Street will be held on February 26-28. The Grand Street Parade will be held on February 28, while the equally-anticipated Float Parade will be held on March 1. As in previous years, street-dancing groups from lowland provinces are expected to participate in the events. Organizers are also projecting to have around 50 float participants this year as compared to only 33 floats last year. The city’s main street meanwhile will be closed to vehicular traffic for one week beginning on March 2 for the traditional "Session Road In Bloom" event. Minor activities and side-events will also be held by various commercial and civic groups throughout the city during the month-long festivities.
Panagbenga, a Kankana-ey (one of the dominant indigenous tribes in the city) term for "flowering" or "blossoming", is now on its 14th year as Baguio City’s premier festival, and is one of the Philippines’ major festivals. Baguio City, owing to its cool climate, is the country’s Summer Capital, and the Flower Festival traditionally ushers in the beginning of summer in the Philippines.
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