FESTIVALS are a way of life for Filipinos. Traditionally known as the festival capital of the world, the Philippines has over 42,000 known festivals, from small barangay-level shindigs to celebrations that span whole cities.
One festival that holds a special place in the hearts of Filipinos is the Kadayawan Festival, made extra special this 38th year thanks to the sweet tunes of the Coke Studio concert which added a very welcome splash of spectacle and more good vibes to the already iconic fiesta. Yet, few would know that we have “ants” to thank for mounting this extra magical concert: Ant Savvy Creatives and Entertainment Inc. (ASCEI).
ASCEI is a company that prides itself in building genuine human connections the way it knows best: bringing experiences with incredible sights and sounds to life in different regions of the Philippines.
Their ethos is exactly a reason to stage a great concert during one of the Philippines’ most beloved festivals. It should be no surprise that ASCEI pulled no stops yet again because this isn’t ASCEI’s first rodeo.
It has mounted nationwide concerts and activations of Coke Studio Philippines since 2016, with each stage being the perfect platform to showcase the production-savvy skills of ASCEI and the magical music of Coke Studio artists, resulting in a series of memorable concerts being mounted all over the Philippines.
This year, ASCEI exponentially raised the bar for the Kadayawan Festival, creating an unforgettable experience by staging the groundbreaking Coke Studio Season 7 concert right in the middle of it.
Davao’s Kadayawan Festival, known as the “festival of festivals”, is one of the biggest festivals in the Philippine calendar. It’s a vibrant and pulsating celebration of life, harvest, and thanksgiving, brimming with colors and full of spectacular dances and costumes.
And so it went that last August 17, 2023 at the San Pedro Square, Davao City, Kadayawan attendees were treated to a musical collision of epic proportions, with over 10,000 concert-goers!
The festival spirit was in full swing as host and beauty queen Carly Chua hyped up the crowd with games and short interviews with the OPM artists. The crowd swooned over the chart-topping hits of headliner Zack Tabudlo, and swayed to the rhythm of fellow OPM artists John Walter, Carla Lim, and Davao’s very own 36 Degrees.
We could practically hear the symphonic cries of enjoyment and resounding cheers of Coke bottles all the way to Manila, proof enough that this would not be the last time ASCEI would spruce up a major festival by mounting the Coke Studio concerts nationwide.
Anticipation is building for another great experience in yet another part of the Philippines, and thankfully, the folks at ASCEI are already planning out which festivals they’ll bring Coke Studio to next.
If you missed out on this year's Coke Studio Kadayawan Festival, don’t worry, there still is a next time! Sure to be even bigger, better, and bolder than before. Leave it to Ant Savvy to do the never-done and bring you more roof-raising concerts for many years to come. PR