All systems go for Bangus Festival

DAGUPAN CITY – It’s all systems go for the holding of the Bangus Festival here as the massive promotional campaign was formally launched Friday. Bangus Festival Chairmen Beep Beep Tan and Alex Siapno said that the summer event will officially open on April 8 through the fluvial parade called Bangus ed Karosa.
There will also be the traditional events such as the Gilon Gilon ed Dalan (street dancing competition) scheduled on April 8, Bangus Rodeo and 101 Ways to Cook Bangus (April 29), and Kalutan ed Dalan (April 30).
Other lined-up events are the Pisasalamat ed Ilog, Photo Contest, Auto and Electronic Show, Café ed Park, Bangus Art Exhibit, Dagupan Grafitti Art Walk, Sculpture Painting Contest, Halo-Halo Festival and Pigar-Pigar Festival; Bikini and Bodybuilding Contest, Talent Show, Singing and Dance Contests, Battle of the Bands, Wall Climbing; Unveiling of new city seal, Easter Egg Hunt, Fluvial Parade and Mangrove Planting...

Meanwhile, the sports events during the festival are badminton, shootfest, golf, fishing contest, boxing, kickboxing, off-road mountain biking, cycling classic, marathon, swimming, and Langoy Bangus, a competition where swimmers will cross the Almay-Pantal river.
The Kalutan ed Dagupan (street party) will be brought back to its old venue at the A. B. Fernandez Avenue this year; parts of the Perez Boulevard will also be utilized ofr the event.
There will only be eight stages where different bands will be playing. Five will be strategically located along A. F. Fernandez Avenue while there will be three band stages along Perez Boulevard.
The organizers said that interested parties who are interested in reserving a grill should, at this early, pay for reservations as only 600 grills will be used during the street party. A grill, inclusive of five kilos of bonuan bangus and charcoal, costs P2,500.
City Police Chief Romeo Caramat Jr. and Public Order and Safety Office (POSO) Chief Robert Erfe-Mejia also presented their traffic and public safety plans.
City Councilor Bryan Lim, Bangus Festival 2007 chairman and consultant/adviser in this year’s festival meanwhile told reporters that there is no plan to outdo past Bangus Festival celebrations as the mere holding of the Bangus Festival as it is is already big as it could be that is being watched-for both by Dagupenos, the Pangasineses and visitors/tourists.
During the festival, the new city seal will also be unveiled.
The Bangus Festival was launched in 2002. On its second try in 2003, it was able to set a Guinness World Record, through the Kalutan ed Dagupan, as the World’s Longest Grill. (Liway C. Manantan-Yparraguirre/Sunnex)