Baguio flower blooming festival: Panagbenga Festival

The Panagbenga festival is a tribute to the traditions and culture of Baguio, Philippines. The celebration of this festival is spread throughout a month and more which commences from the first of February and spreads up to the middle of April.

This festival was commenced to promote the flora and fauna of Baguio. If we put it more precisely, the cause for the commencement of this festival was to help the population rise from the devastation of the Luzon Earthquake which occurred in the year 1990 and had grievous impacts on the economy and life of the people of the city.

Initially, it was known as the Baguio flower festival but later on, the name was changed to Panagbenga flower festival. This event is held to promote tourism in the city of Baguio. 

The main emphasis is on the blooming of the flowers and the use of those blooms in the traditions and culture of Baguio.

The person who should be credited with the idea to hold a flower festival in the city of Baguio every year is Damaso E. Bangaoet, Jr. He was the managing director of Camp John Hay and he suggested that a flower festival should be introduced to propagate the various traditions prevailing in Baguio city, their history and the important traditions which were a part of the culture of the Baguio people.

All the directors on the board of directors of John Hay Poro Point Development Corporation (JPDC) agreed to his suggestion and the idea was put before Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) Chairman Victor A. Lim who approved the idea jointly with the president of JPDC, Rogelio L. Singson.

This lead to the celebration of the Baguio flower festival, every year from the 1st of February. The only exception has been the year 2020 in which the celebration of the festival was initially postponed and then later cancelled due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The suggestions of the festival were welcomed by all the sectors of the society as it was beneficial not only in the propagation of the traditions and the culture of the Baguio people but it was also a boon for the economy as many industries saw a rise in their turnover due to the usage of the rising demand of their products for the events.

During the month-long festival, different days are dedicated to various events, but the most important and vital events are held during the last week of the festival. Floats decorated with colourful blooms roll down the streets of the city with live bands performing on them.

The participant's don, colourful costumes inspired by the vibrant flowers that grow in Baguio city. The dancers and the participants use a lot of flowers to adorn their hair and clothes.

 The floats are also decorated lavishly with flowers, in all the hues of the rainbow.

The main events highlight street dancing and parade of the floats, after which the roads are closed for a week for various exhibits of flowers and their decorations. This event was telecasted throughout the country by various channels.

The opportunity is used by Wright Park to honour their pony boys and horse trainers to boost their morale. The term Panagbenga has a different meaning to it. In the Kankanaey term, it means the season of blooming.

Various flowers are used lavishly for this festival because these flowers grow in abundance during this season. www.florista.ph is rendered busy during the festival with flower delivery in Baguio during the festival. The varieties of flowers which are used to decorate the floats and used for the events are as follows:

1. Roses- As the beauty and the fragrance of the roses, are their most important virtue, therefore, roses in various colours like red, pink, maroon, yellow, orange, white, and many shaded varieties are used lavishly for the costumes and the headdress of the participants.

2. Lilies- The long stalks of the lilies make them convenient to be used for the decoration of the floats. Brightly coloured lilies are used to make artistic designs which adorn the floats. White lilies are used with contrast coloured flowers to create an impact and hold the beholders mesmerized.

3. Sunflower- The bright orange and yellow colour of the sunflower is appropriate to add colour and brightness to the beautiful floats. Big sunflowers and small ones alike are used in abundance as they grow during this season.

4. Gerberas- To add volume to the designs, the gerbera flowers are most suitable because of their vibrant colours and bushy appearance. Gerberas in the hues of red, yellow, pink, white and orange are the most sought after blooms during this season.

5. Orchids- The dainty orchids have a place of pride as they look extremely elegant when they are used for the decoration of the floats. Pink, purple and white orchids are the most in-demand.

Some of the industries which benefit from the Panagbenga flower festival are the food industry, the tourism industry, and of course the flower trade for which this festival is like a boon.

 Participate in this festival and use the facility of flower delivery in Baguio to procure the flowers needed to celebrate this festival with aplomb.