BLOGS

Panagbenga Festival: Everything To Know

Baguio has always been a hot spot for many things. The unique geography, cool climate, and scenic surroundings of the highland city make it an ideal location for leisure travel, vacations, and even luxury real estate developments. The tourism industry is steadily blooming in Baguio City, and as a result, locals, travelers, and staycationers can enjoy plenty of options when it comes to entertainment hubs, accommodations (e.g. luxury condominium in Baguio), and unique festivities. Among these anticipated local celebrations is the flower festival in Baguio, more popularly known as the Panagbenga Festival or the “Blooming Flowers” Festival.

Know more about this annual celebration below.

What Makes the Panagbenga Festival Special?

Panagbenga is a Kankanaey word that literally translates to “season of blooming.” That said, the Baguio flower festival celebrates the variety of fresh blooms of Baguio and the Cordilleras. Despite its cheery atmosphere, the festival is rooted in a much deeper history.

The Baguio City Panagbenga Festival is a symbolism of hope and new beginnings from the deadly earthquake that devastated the Luzon island on July 16, 1990. Five years after the calamity, the Panagbenga Festival was arranged annualy with the goal of boosting tourism and restoring livelihood in the region. It goes without saying that the project was a huge success. Even several decades later, the flower festival is still one of the biggest and most anticipated events in the Philippines, pulling thousands of tourists and travelers in Baguio city for a month long of merry-making.

The festival is held every February because of the pleasant weather during the time. There are less rainfall and lower humidity in Baguio during the months of December to March. So, if you are planning to travel to Baguio soon, consider scheduling your trip on the said months.

Make the Most Out of Your Panagbenga Festival Experience with These Tips

What to Expect: Major Highlights of the Baguio City Panagbenga Festival

Colorful is the top-of-mind description for the Panagbenga festival. The streets are overflowing with fiesta floats brimming with vibrant flowers and ornate decorations. Street dancers dressed in flamboyant, floral costumes also keeps the festival cheer at all time high. A month long of celebration also means a full schedule of various unique activities, different competitions, and parades.

Although the pandemic resulted to the cancellation of the festival over the last two years, it is set to return in full swing this February 1, 2023 with the theme: “A Renaissance of Wonder and Beauty.” Here are some of the highlights of the 2023 Panagbenga Festival.

Floral-Themed Float Parades

The Grand Float Parade is one of the biggest highlights of Panagbenga. Spectators can look forward to over 20 giant floats carefully decorated with fresh flowers and ornamental plants, including chrysanthemum, roses, and orchids. Chrysanthemum flowers, are also on the top of the list because Benguet is the top producer of the said blooms in the Philippines.

The flowers are arranged according to the central theme of the parade to give tribute to the heritage and highlight the creativity of Baguio locals and its surrounding municipalities. Some of the major stunners on the previous years are Dragon-themed floats, French circus floats, giant strawberry floats, and floral floats of event sponsors that often carry popular celebrities and prominent personalities. Street dancing is also a major activity in the Panagbenga float parade.

Professional Landscaping Competition

If you have an affinity for fresh flowers and greens, make sure to drop by at the landscaping competition event of the Baguio City Panagbenga Festival. Feast your senses with various landscape design projects such as contemporary gardens, mediterranean gardens, tropical, rainforest gardens, contemporary native, and beyond. The exhibition gives space for professional landscape artists (especially local talents) to showcase their skills while highlighting the beautiful botanicals of Baguio. In 2019, organizers of the flower festival reserve a space for exhibitors to display their works outside the popular Burnham Park Skating rink.

The event is also a good way for luxury real estate owners to find world-class landscaping inspirations and designers for their residential or commercial properties. One of the many perks of owning a luxury house and lot property from Brittany Corporation is a spacious lot area that allows homeowners to create a great outdoor space or themed gardens.

Panagbenga Festival Everything To Know

Session Road in Bloom

Your Baguio tour is not complete if you do not wander around the Session Road. Considered as the heart of Baguio City, the six-lane road spans to 1.7 kilometers and is a hot spot for local bars, popular food hubs, flea markets, and world-class hotels, among others. Session Road is even more alive during the Panagbenga Festival, thanks to the “Session Road in Bloom.” It is a week-long event, usually from March 21 to 27, that promotes the local entrepreneurs in the city.

During the event, the parts of the Session Road are temporarily closed from vehicle traffic to give enough space for concessionaires and small businesses to set up stalls along the strip. You can go around over 200 booths offering variety of local souvenirs and other novelty goods like artisan clothing. Of course, local food options are also up for grabs. Tickle your taste buds with the crowd-favorite strawberry wine, lengua de gato (Filipino butter cookies), ube jam, and the exotic sundot kulangot (a sticky sweet dessert primarily made of glutinuous rice flour and coconut jam).

Take note: While haggling is common in local bazaars and fairs, consider doing it less. Most of the of the vendors in Session Road in Bloom are often micro businesses that are still bouncing back from the COVID-19 pandemic.

On top of the abovementioned Panagbenga highlights, you can also look forward to open painting exhibitions, cultural shows, ornate kite-flying challenge, “Mardi Gras at the Lake,” and many more. It is safe to say that the 2023 Panagbenga Festival has something to offer for everyone, including families, adults, kids, plant-enthusiasts, foodies, and others.

Make the Most Out of Your Panagbenga Festival Experience with These Tips

If you are all set to vising Baguio for the Panagbenga Festival, make sure to prepare accordingly so you can maximize your experience. Expect a huge influx of travelers as this is a major festivity. That said, it is best to schedule your trip in early weeks of January. Book your accommodations in advance as well. Look for a hotel room or a luxury condo in Baguio that is near Session Road or other major roads for accessibility. You would not want to spend your day traveling from one spot to another.

What to Expect Major Highlights of the Baguio City Panagbenga Festival

Other festival tips you should keep in mind are:

Bring comfortable footwear for long walks. The streets of Baguio can get crowded during the festivities, making transportation difficult.
Check in advance the schedule of the events you want to attend. You want to watch major activities like the Grand Parade on the best spot possible. Secure a prime seat by arriving as early as possible.
Bring extra luggage for your bazaar finds and local pasalubongs. The night market and Session Road in Bloom event features many novelty items and cheap finds that can easily fill your shopping bags.

Lastly, schedule a few days of your trip to schedule other parts of Baguio and its nearby regions. While the Panagbenga festival is truly a one-of-a-kind celebration to experience Baguio’s culture and beauty, the high land also takes pride of its world-class natural attractions and surrounding local leisure spots that will make your trip even more worthwhile. The rice terraces of Banaue, for instance, is once considered as one of world’s eight wonders.

Like what you read? Brittany Corporation is you definitive source of everything about luxury living, luxury real estate developments, high society culture, and everything in between. Explore the best luxury condo in Baguio and other world-class luxury real estate properties of Brittany Corporation by taking a quick virtual tour! If you have any sales or business related concerns, connect to Brittany’s Sales and Marketing team by clicking here.