Panagbenga big parades set Feb. 27, 28 in Baguio

By Julie G. Fianza

BAGUIO CITY – After the successful staging of the Chinese New Year and the much attended lakeside presentation of “Camelot” last weekend, the city prepares for Panagbenga’s grand street dancing parade on Feb. 27, and the flower-laden float parade, the day after.

The parades are expected to draw crowds of local and foreign tourists along the city’s main thoroughfares, as it weaves its way using both lanes from upper Session Road to lower Session road. Upon reaching Magsaysay Avenue , participants would converge and use only one lane to Centermall rotunda, use the other lane in going towards Maharlika frontage, split up and use two lanes of Harrison road past Burnham Melvin Jones grandstand and end up with performances at the Athletic Bowl. The activity is expected to end at 5 p.m.

This is one of the innovations introduced for the 15th staging of the Baguio Flower Festival, as assured earlier by BFFI chair hotelier Anthony de Leon.

Other innovations were the mardi gras at Session road and the staging of Shakespeare’s “Camelot” at the Burnham lake, which capped the fluvial parade last Valentine’s day.

For the street dancing parade, there would be nine elementary school participants, culled from the fourteen (14) who joined the eliminations during the opening parade Feb. 1.

As of press time, only the Special Performing Arts section of the Baguio City National High School (BCNHS) shall participate for the secondary category, while eight participants are expected for the open category. Said category includes a Baguio public elementary school, a neighboring town’s elementary school, a secondary school in Pangasinan, and a college in La Union. A theater group and several other private institutions complete the open category participants.

For the floral float parade in the morning of Feb. 28, twenty-two are expected to join; academic and business entities showcasing their company logos with multi-colored blooms. The floats shall traverse Upper to Lower Session road, Harrison road up to Athletic Bowl where they shall be on display until 5 p.m. of March 1.

The two parades shall showcase this year’s theme; “Celebrating Fifteen Years of Festival Excellence.”

Other activities for this week are the on-going Philippine Military Academy homecoming until today, Sunday; the Education Center of Australia-Victoria University Australian IT exhibit at the Baguio Convention Center , and the Arnis de Mano Sports Tournament at Malcolm Square .

On Feb. 24, the Sangguniang Kabataan vote music and arts festival shall go on from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Baguio Convention Center ; a free concert goes on at the same venue on the 25th; while a TV launch shall be done at the University of the Cordilleras Theater on the 26th. On Feb. 26 to 28, the road fronting Abanao square shall be closed from 5 p.m. to midnight daily for “Abanao nights,” a venue for concerts and an outdoor bar.

Mr. and Ms. Fashionista 2010 takes centerstage at the Baguio Convention Center on the 26th, while at 5 PM on the 27th, Bulaklak Rock will be at the Melvin Jones grandstand, Burnham Park.

An open scrabble tournament shall also be conducted on Feb. 27 and 28; as on the evening of the 28th, the 9th Bombo Radio Free Concert shall be done at Melvin Jones, Burnham Park.