Aliwan Fiesta at CCP

Fiesta is a feast for the senses and a celebration of the Filipino’s passion for food, music, and fun. It is also held to show gratitude to a well-loved patron saint for a bountiful harvest.

Manila Broadcasting Company and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), in cooperation with the cities of Manila and Pasay, once again celebrate the country’s biggest and popular festivals—as a series of grand visual spectacles now known as the Aliwan Fiesta, which opens to the public from May 1-3 at the CCP Complex.

Aiming to show local and foreign audiences the richness and diversity of Filipino culture in a single venue, Aliwan Fiesta harnesses Philippine festivals to showcase how religion, culture, and tradition are woven.

With most major fiestas rooted in the pre-colonial period, there is a sector that celebrates nature’s bounty. The agricultural basins in the lowlands of Luzon as well as the highlands of the Cordilleras are rife with stories handed down through generations about nature’s mystical denizens who are then honored in shamanic rituals and festivities by the townsfolk. Belief in the mountain goddesses was translated into high regard for beauty in a matriarchal society. And nowhere is this more evident than in the regional muses competing for Reyna ng Aliwan.

Folks in the Visayan region, cradle of Christianity in the Philippines, are among the most avid religious fiesta-goers, particularly those venerating the Sto. Nino. Mindanao, in turn, with its majestic interplay of influences from Muslim and tribal cultures, displays the opulence of its festivals through visual narratives commemorating the coming of Islam and the determination of the people to stem foreign invaders. The largest island in the archipelago also celebrates the fruits of the land as well as the endless gifts of the seas.

The event is a gathering of champion street dancing contingents from different regions, along with a bevy of beauties, and master craftsmen who will construct the floats. Fabulous prizes are also at stake.

Aliwan Fiesta also pays tribute to the entrepreneurial Pinoy through a shopper’s bazaar featuring an array of regional products.The festival will also have nightly concerts and street parties featuring top local bands.