The Opening ceremony, which is the official start of the month-long celebration, has already commenced last February 1, 2015. Alongside with this event, they have also opened the market encounter, landscaping exhibition, and exposition at Lake Drive, Burnham Park.
The opening ceremony was celebrated through a parade, and the opening of the different shops or tourist spots. The parade, which was done during the ceremony, started at Session Road, going towards South Drive, Magsaysay Road and stopped at the Athletic Bowl. In the final destination, locals and tourists both watched in anticipation for the parade.
Panagbenga is known for the festival of flowers which includes having the landscaping competition. This competition is indeed one of the best parts of the festival. This contest involves local landscapers who showcase their skill and uniqueness in their own work. Their work is viewed by the visitors all around the Philippines and around the world. The competition guidelines specify an area size that the contestants have to follow while creating a small garden using the wide variety of flowers and plants available in the Cordillera region of the Philippines.
One of Panagbenga’s major and most awaited event is the Grand Float Parade which was held on March 1, 2015 in Baguio City. Many spectators and tourists all over the Philippines came to Baguio just to witness one of the highlights of this year’s Panagbenga: The Grand Float Parade.
The Grand Float Parade is an annual celebration that depicts and showcases the creative and beautiful culture of the Cordillerans using the flowers designed on each of the colorful floats. The float parade was led this year not only by the City Government of Baguio but also the nearby municipalities of La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba and Tublay, which is composed of what is called the BLISTT area, because not only Baguio benefited from the festival but these municipalities as well.
The floats were carefully decorated days before the celebration. The flowers were structured according to a specific, and chosen theme. They were to showcase the theme for this year’s festival: ‘’Across 20 years Blossoming together’’. The common flowers that were used are anthurium, chrysanthemum, astrobelia, orchids, mums, roses, and Baguio’s original flower, everlasting. These flowers should be ninety percent fresh for the parade.
The floats started from North Drive then paraded along Session Road and ended at the Athletic Bowl where the final judging will be done. A total of 16 huge and vibrant floats embellished with fresh and exquisite flowers Every float has a distinct theme or design which made the audience awe to its beauty for example, Baguio Country Club, a Hall of Famer for the Parade Competition, used the popular Disney Pixar movie: How to Train your Dragon as a theme for their new float. Another float that caught the crowd’s attention is the float of Cebuana Lhuillier which featured a French Circus with live clowns dancing as it made its way down Session Road. The float of SM highlighted the rich culture of the Philippines by showing the best sceneries here in the country like Banaue Rice Terraces, Gardens of Malasag in Cagayan de Oro, and Zamboanga’s golf courses.
Not only that, street dancers also performed in the Parade like Mabini Elementary School which became the champion for the Grand Street Parade Elementary Division. Overall the parade still gave the ‘’wow-factor’’ even though this year very few of the celebrities rode the floats. This didn’t stop the audience nor the spectators to enjoy and to be amazed by the spectacular Grand Float Parade.
With the theme, “Across 20 years, blossoming together,” delegates from the local city of Baguio performed various street dance in the commercial center of the city, Session Road. There was a competition created into three divisions namely: open, elementary and secondary division. Taking the top spots for each division are Pamulinawen Festival, Mabini Elementary School, and Baguio City National High School, respectively.
These are the winners announced by the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Incorporated:
Open Division
1.Pamulinawen Festival
2.Municipality of Itogon, Province of Benguet
3.Benguet State University
Elementary Division
1.Mabini Elementary School
2.Baguio Central School
3.Emilio Aguinaldo Elementary School
Secondary Division
1.Baguio Central National High School
2.Kalinga Street Dancers
3.Pinsao National High School
The participants have shown their creativity through dancing and through playing various kinds of instruments. Consistency was definitely presented in their performances. However, according to them, the dance was very tiring since the weather was hot and humid, but despite all the negativities, they were still able to enjoy and perform well.
Every year, Session Road is opened for multiple guests and citizens who visit Baguio to enjoy the festival. The road is closed for public and private transportations to give space to the booths and stalls of different corporations. This year’s event was held for only a week which started after the Grand Float Parade on March.
Sellers and establishment owners come from multiple places from all over the country to sell their products to the public. These products range from food and beverages to shoes and bags. They also sell souvenirs for visiting tourists for them to take home. There are also some artists who come to Baguio, and they hold concerts almost every night of the week- long event. Not only is this helpful to the establishment, but it is also convenient for the public because they can find their necessities in one place. This event also helps in boosting the popularity of the establishments, the city and the festival.
This event gives families an opportunity to bond and to enjoy the festival together. It is also easily accessible as it is held in a convenient place, the heart of Baguio city. Session Road in Bloom is one of the most influential events of this festival because it brings prosperity to the city and its citizens.
Many tourists come to Baguio because of the Flower Festival. But before the main parade happens, there are a few activities scheduled by the organizers. One of these activities is the Market Encounter, or known today as Baguio Blooms. It is located at Lake Drive, the road in between Burnham Lake and Melvin Jones.
In it, various products are being sold. There are various kinds of food like shawarma, sweet corn, and local Cordilleran products. Clothes, toys, and souvenirs are sold as well. Aside from it, there is also the Landscaping Contest which is one of the least visited but actually one of the best exhibits during the Panagbenga. It starts on the opening of Panagbenga and will be open until the end of the festival.
