BAGUIO CITY – The Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Inc. (BFFFI) and the city government launched Monday the 2024 Panagbenga, the city’s and the Cordillera Administrative Region’s major crowd-drawing event that is held for one month.
Freddie Alquiros, BFFFI president, said innovations will be implemented for the festival that will carry the theme “Celebrating Culture, Embracing Innovation.”
“We are trying to make it affordable so that others will be able to join,” he said during the press conference after the launch.
According to Alquiros, the cultural presentation will no longer be part of the grand street dancing parade but will be given its day, to allow the locals and tourists to fully appreciate the region’s culture through dances.
“We started to have a cultural category for the street dancing parade during the pandemic, and we are seeing a long list of interested participants,” he explained, adding that they are also hoping to have a sub-category for high school participants of the street dancing parade.
Next year’s festival will start on Feb. 3.
“Panagbenga is the people’s event, and we want everybody to join and be part of the opening and the other events, which was the reason it was conceptualized,” Anthony de Leon, festival executive committee chair, said during the press conference.
De Leon said the innovations will focus on tourism and environment-friendly activities.
The flower festival, which symbolizes the community's resilience, unity, and enduring tradition, started 28 years ago. (PNA)