Ube might feel like it suddenly blew up, but it is not just another trend. It moves from being a beloved Filipino comfort to showing up everywhere, from lattes to pastries and ice cream. And that love did not start yesterday. Behind Dioscorea alata, or the purple yam, is a story built over centuries, shaped by Filipino farming, family recipes and shared celebrations, bringing it from something local to something “world-ready” without ever losing what makes it special.
Now, Cebu is getting a concentrated dose of the purple yam. SM City Cebu’s Ube Madness Festival, running from August 20 to 31, 2026, at the Lower Ground Level of the Main Mall, brings together local businesses selling their own takes on the ingredient, from ube coffee and halo-halo to pastries and sweets.
The pop-up lineup is perhaps the clearest sign of how far ube has moved beyond the traditional Filipino dessert table.
Ube got the scoop
Celso’s Crib Cafe is serving ube coffee, while Lila and Sweets brings kinampay ube into the mix. Coco Sugbo is offering ube halo-halo and Oh Nata has ube egg tarts. Pastries and coffee are also available from Crumb Club and Co., Coffyy, Brevea and Life Pastries by Zoe.
These Cebu-made homegrown brands turn a themed mall event into a storyline staged in purple, designed to translate heritage into an experience people can step into.
Then there are the start-ups leaning into ube’s more playful side. Atom Express lets visitors customize their own keychains, while Kawaii Madness has purple fidget squishies that turn the ube craze into a more welcoming, community-style experience.
The pop-up also highlights the makers and micro-entrepreneurs who keep ube creative and accessible in real time. The lineup brings the festival down to earth.
There is also the Purple Photo Studio, where people can take fun photos to keep in the photo booth with friends, family or loved ones. The festival also features the UBEats Playlist and various creative, interactive activities.
More activities are spread throughout the rest of August, including the UBEnto Cake Lab and Purple Patching Station, the Purple Wish Lantern with The Sunnyside Club Cebu and Purple Fan Art, among others.
More than just tasting ube, it helps you understand why it is loved and how it shows up in celebrations. It turns cultural memory into something you can actually create, not just buy.
It has moved from farms and family recipes into modern cafés and mall festivals, but it remains recognizable at the core: a beloved Filipino crop that marks joyful gatherings, sustains farmers and carries memory in every purple spoonful.
Ube is a culinary heritage remixed for the present, still rooted, still ours, still delicious. S
