Aliwan Fiesta

Representatives of Sinulog Festival of Carmen, Cebu rehearse hours before Aliwan Fiesta 2008

Aliwan Fiesta is an annual event that gathers different cultural festivals of the Philippines in Star City Complex in Pasay City wherein contingents compete in dance parade and float competitions, as well as in a beauty pageant. Organized by Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC) together with Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and the cities of Manila and Pasay, the event is dubbed as "The Mother of All Fiestas," with prizes totaling to P3 million (roughly US$70,000). Aliwan Fiesta, which began in 2003, aims to showcase the different Filipino cultures and heritage not only to the people in Metro Manila but also to the rest of the world.[1] The contingents, meanwhile, aim to promote their respective regions both economically and tourism-wise.[2] It was originally organized as a visual extravaganza for the Christmas season, but it has since been held during the summer months of either April or May.[3] Aliwan is a Tagalog word for "entertainment" or "amusement." For 2010, the colorful banner at the Roxas Blvd. entrance proclaimed the fiesta as THE PHILIPPINES GRANDEST FIESTA.[4]

Competition

The parade float of Panagbenga Festival of Baguio City was decorated with local flowers and handicrafts. Seated on top is the city's Reyna ng Aliwan 2008 contestant

Aliwan Fiesta is divided into three categories: Cultural Street Dance Competition (the main event), Float Parade, and Reyna ng Aliwan (Queen of Entertainment/Amusement) beauty pageant. Each of the country's 18 regions have the option to send up to two contingents representing its respective cultural festival, as well as an option to send a representing float and or beauty pageant contestant.[5] However, the roster of entries for the cultural dance and float competitions are limited. In 2008, the number of slots for cultural dance was increased from 20 to 24 groups, which was completed as early as January.[3] Each contingent in the cultural street dance competition—totaling up to 100 dancers as well as hundreds of musicians and support staff members—have undergone stringent elimination cycles during various local festivals before being chosen to compete in Aliwan Fiesta.[1] The highlight of the event is when all competing festivals show off their dance skills while parading for four kilometers (about 2½ miles) along Roxas Boulevard from Quirino Grandstand to Aliw Theater grounds located near CCP.[6] The festivals range from the well-known such as Sinulog of Cebu City, and Panagbenga of Baguio City, to the obscure but just-as-interesting feasts like Alikaraw of Hilongos, Leyte, Padang-Padang of Parang, Shariff Kabunsuan, and Pamitinan Festival of Rodriguez, Rizal.[1] Side events also include a bazaar featuring different regional products, a photography contest, an inter-scholastic dance competition (interpreting dance tunes played on MBC radio stations), Filipino street games, and a fireworks display.[6][7]

Meanwhile, the participating floats are only allowed to use local textiles, produce, flowers, and other products specific in their representing city in decorating the vehicles. Each float, portraying local folklore and indigenous traditions, is topped by a participant of Reyna ng Aliwan serving as muse. The province of CEBU holds the record of the most number of wins in the Reyna ng Aliwan Pageant a total of six consecutive times from Reyna ng Aliwan 2009 until 2014. Last Aliwan Fiesta 2014 another cebuana beauty won the Reyna ng Aliwan 2014 title and a record sixth peat set by Steffi Aberasturi of Cebu City.[3][7] The beauty pageant contestants have competed a day before the parade.[8]

The top ten contingents in the cultural dance and float competitions receive cash prizes, with the top float winner receiving P500,000 (roughly US$11,000) and the winning cultural dance group getting P1 million (about US$23,000) as well as the bragging rights of becoming the champion of Aliwan Fiesta. Meanwhile, the Reyna ng Aliwan receives P100,000 (roughly US$2,300).[5]

Aliwan Fiesta winners

Streetdance[9]

YearWinnerOrigin
2016 Manaragat Festival Catbalogan City
2015 Manaragat Festival Catbalogan City
2014 Sinulog Festival Cebu City
2013 Dinagyang Festival Iloilo City
2012 Dinagyang Festival Iloilo City
2011 Dinagyang Festival Iloilo City
2010 Dinagyang Festival Iloilo City
2009 Buyogan Festival Abuyog, Leyte
2008 Sinulog Festival Cebu City
2007 Sinulog Festival Cebu City
2006 Sinulog Festival Cebu City
2005 Pintados de Pasi Pasi, Iloilo
2004 Dinagyang Festival Iloilo City
2003 Halad Festival Midsayap, Cotabato

By wins

Festival name Wins Winning years
Dinagyang Festival 5 2004, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
Sinulog Festival 4 2006, 2007, 2008, 2014
Manaragat Festival 2 2015, 2016
Buyogan Festival 1 2009
Pintados de Pasi 2005
Halad Festival 2003
A parade float representing Kadayawan Festival of Davao City in Aliwan Fiesta 2008

Tugtog Aliwan

YearWinnerOrigin
2015 Sagayan Festival Maguindanao

Float design[10]

YearChampionsRunner UpThird Placer
2015 Santo Niño Fluvial Float of Samar Sagayan Festival of Datu Piang Maguindanao Sakuting Festival of Dolores, Abra
2014 Bambanti festival of Isabela Utanon festival of Dalaguete, Cebu Indayog ti Sabsabong of Baguio City
2013 Bahandi Han Eastern Visayas of Alang-Alang, Leyte Balinali Sang Gadung of Mangudadatu, Maguindanao Gak't A Kastili sa Banobo of Northern Kabuntalan, Maguindanao
2012 Pamulinawen (Laoag, Ilocos Norte) Ang Lingganay (Alang-alang, Leyte) Sagayan Fiesta (Parang, Maguindanao)
2011 Biday a Pinangasturian (Buluan, Maguindanao) Kumpit sa Kutawato (Cotabato City) Singkaban Fiesta (Bulacan)
2010 Kanggulagna sa Maguindanao (Cotabato City) Bahandi Han Dagat (Tanauan, Leyte) Kagkawing sa Maguindanao (Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao)
2009 Abel Iloko (Laoag, Ilocos Norte) Lemba (Cotabato) Dinagyang (La Paz Iloilo)
2008 Kalesa - Pamulinawen (Laoag) Peacock - Boling Boling (Catabauan, Quezon) Sinulog (Cebu)
2007 Guinakit of Sultan Kudarat, Shariff Kabunsuan Disposorio Festival of Hagonoy, Bulacan Iloilo City: The Next Big Thing of Iloilo Dinagyang
2006 Biag-Ni-Lam-Ang of Laoag City The Sabutan Rainbow Parrot Fish of Palanan, Isabela Boling-Boling Festival of Catanauan, Quezon
2005 Sabutan Festival of Isabela Paradise Found of Baguio City Idiay Bangir of Laoag City
2004 Tawid (A Legacy) of Laoag City Let Thousands of Flowers Bloom More Than The Usual of Baguio City Kanggunina of South Cotabato

Reyna ng Aliwan Winners[11]

YearReyna ng AliwanOrigin of FestivalCultural FestivalPost Pageant TitleInternational Competition
2016 Cynthia Thomalla Cebu Sinulog Festival
2015 Stephanie Joy Abellanida Midsayap Halad Festival
2014 Steffi Rose Aberasturi Cebu Sinulog Festival
2013 Jamie Herrell Cebu Sinulog Festival Miss Philippines Earth 2014 Miss Earth 2014 Winner
2012 Angeli Dione Gomez Cebu Sinulog Festival Mutyabng Pilipinas Tourism International 2013 Miss Tourism International 2013-2014 Winner
2011 Rogelie Catacutan Cebu Sinulog Festival Binibining Pilipinas Supranational 2015 Miss Supranational 2015 Top 20 Semi-Finalist
2010 Rizzini Alexis Gomez † Cebu Sinulog Festival Mutya ng Pilipinas Tourism International 2012 Miss Tourism International 2012-2013 Winner
2009 Sian Elizabeth Maynard Cebu Sinulog Festival Miss Philippines Earth 2010 Top 10 Semi-Finalist
2008 Mary Jean Lastimosa Davao Kadayawan Festival Binibining Pilipinas 2011 Second Runner-up
Binibining Pilipinas 2012 Top 12 Finalist
Miss Universe Philippines 2014		 Miss Universe 2014 Top 10 Semi-Finalist
2007 Mary Jane dela Cruz Bulacan Desposorio Festival Binibining Pilipinas 2009 candidate
2006 Vera Eumee Reiter Baguio Panagbenga Festival Mutya ng Pilipinas Tourism International 2006
2005 Syrel Aubrey Amazona Baguio Panagbenga Festival
2004 Jasmin Versoza Laoag Pamulenawen Festival

Cebu has won the crown in six consecutive years (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) followed by Baguio (2005, 2006) then Davao, Bulacan and Laoag.

Tally

Festival Origin Wins Winning years
Cebu 6 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
Baguio 2 2005, 2006
Davao 1 2008
Bulacan 2007
Laoag 2004
Midsayap 2015

Coffee table book

MBC presented a coffee table book in 2008 entitled Aliwan Fiesta: Celebrating Life In These 7,107 Islands. It was documented by cultural affairs specialist Susan Isorena-Arcega, featuring various photographs taken during Aliwan Fiesta's first five years. The book aims to tackle the Filipino's festive psyche, the multi-pronged treatise on what the Philippine festivals are rooted in, and the display of cultural heritage through dance and craftsmanship.[7]

External links

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 "Aliwan Fiesta '07: The mother of all RP festivals". Manila Bulletin. March 25, 2007. Archived from the original on 2008-02-16. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
  2. ↑ Recebido, Bennie (April 27, 2007). "Tagalog News: Sorsogon City Pili festival dance troupe kalahok sa Aliwan fiesta". Philippine Information Agency. Retrieved 2007-07-28.(Tagalog)
  3. 1 2 3 4 Valisno, Jeffrey (May 2, 2008). "Fiesta islands". BusinessWorld. Retrieved 2008-02-27.
  4. ↑ Phillips, Eric (May 5, 2010). "THE PHILIPPINES GRANDEST FIESTA". manilatop10. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
  5. 1 2 Calubiran, Maricar M (April 20, 2007). "P2.5M at stake in Aliwan Fiesta". The News Today. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
  6. 1 2 "Aliwan Fiesta: Festival of champions". Malaya. April 4, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
  7. 1 2 3 Artifex, Lex (April 27, 2008). "Aliwan Fiesta: A celebration of diversity". The Daily Tribune. Archived from the original on April 30, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  8. ↑ "Reyna ng Aliwan". Abante Tonite. April 13, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  9. ↑ http://aliwanfiesta.com.ph/aliwan2.5/index.php/our-stations/streetdance-winners
  10. ↑ http://aliwanfiesta.com.ph/aliwan2.5/index.php/our-stations/float-design-winners
  11. ↑ http://aliwanfiesta.com.ph/aliwan2.5/index.php/our-stations/reyna-ng-aliwan
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