Local color at Aliwan Fiesta

MANILA, Philippines - Fiestas provide excellent opportunities to celebrate Filipino design ingenuity. And with organizers of the 2010 Aliwan Fiesta laying out half-a-million pesos for the grand prize winner of the float competition, the county’s finest artisans are out to mine local folklore and indigenous traditions in crafting mammoth mobile dioramas that draw tourists to the colorful cultural extravaganza.

Aliwan Fiesta is produced by Manila Broadcasting Co., Star City, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines, in cooperation with the Yes! Tourism Committee of SM Mall of Asia, along with the cities of Pasay and Manila.

Designs will make use of local fabrics, decorative weaving, paper sculpture, and various forms of folk art arrayed in vibrant colors, along with agricultural produce and regional flora and fauna. 

This year, the grand parade is scheduled on April 24, and will kick off at 4 p.m. behind the SM Mall of Asia and will culminate in front of the Aliw Theater at the CCP Complex, where the awarding ceremonies will be held.

Now on its eighth year, Aliwan Fiesta is supported by Smart Communications, Unilab, My Juiz, Alaska, Coca-Cola, 555, Wings Detergent, Sting Energy Drink, Aquabest, PPSSC Water, Paramount Insurance, McDonald’s, M. Lhuillier, Bayview Plaza, and Atrium Hotel.     

For more details, call 832-6125, e-mail at siarcega@mbcradio.net or log on to the official festival website at www.aliwanfiesta.com.ph.