De Venecia: Bangus Festival soars higher
THE Dagupan Bangus Festival has leveled up compared to last year’s but it must have culturally rooted programming to enable it to catch up if not equal the more famous festivals in the country.
This was noted by Fourth District Rep. Christopher de Venecia as he congratulated Mayor Belen Fernandez and 2017 Bangus Festival Executive Chairman Epee Rafanan for introducing new features.
“Mayor Belen and Epee Rafanan are on the right track, he said, having witnessed almost all events of the 2017 Bangus Festival since its launching on April 16,” De Venecia said.
When asked by newsmen about the possibility of Bangus Festival being just as popular as the more famous Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo and Sto. Niño Festival of Cebu, De Venecia said it is possible since the Bangus Festival is gaining more crowds.
“But don’t worry, we will get there soon,” De Venecia said as he recommended adding of a culturally-rooted programming to be incorporated in the festival to make it more unique.
He pointed out that most festivals organize the food strip and “baratillo,” street dancing yearly and just repeating the activities being done in other festivals, so there should be more creative activities to make Bangus Festival stand out.
He confessed this was his experience in the Dinagyang Festival. when he attended the religious phase of the celebration and which the congressman now considers as “the most memorable experience in my life”.
“Imagine, we are praying, then all of a sudden, there is a party and then afterwards, there is again a moment of silence, and a time for another praying. That was something weird but was worth the experience,” he said.
When De Venecia related his unique experience to friends, many of them could not believe it and so also went to the Dinagyang Festival to be able to have such experience themselves.
He said the Bangus Festival should be able to captivate tourists even more and ensure their coming back. He maintains that tourism is not just destinations but also experience.
He participated in the fun run and launched an online photo contest on April 28 entitled “Capturing Dagupan’s Vibrancy”.
He said he looks forward to participating actively in the Darayat Festival in San Fabian and Pindang Festival in Mangaldan and soon in the Galikato Festival in Manaoag in December. (Leonardo Micua)
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