30 Flower-Decked Floats Take Over Session Road — Panagbenga Festival Celebrates 30th Year With 'Blooming Without End' Theme

Baguio City was a sea of colors and flowers on Sunday as the 30th Panagbenga Festival Grand Floral Float Parade took over the streets of the summer capital. A total of 30 competing floats — plus several non-competing entries — paraded from Session Road to the Melvin Jones Football Grounds under the theme 'Blooming Without End.'

The floats were divided into three categories: seven small, seven medium, and 11 large. Major corporate sponsors like McDonalds, Jollibee, Pepsi, Chowking, KFC, Mang Inasal, and GMA Network fielded large floats, while local businesses and garden groups competed in the smaller categories. The Baguio Country Club and SM Prime also participated as Hall of Famers.

Non-competing floats from the Baguio City government, the Department of Tourism-CAR, and AB Leisure Exponent (Bingo Plus) also joined the festivities. Thousands of spectators lined the streets to witness the spectacle, making it one of the most attended Panagbenga parades in recent memory.

The Panagbenga Festival, which translates to 'a season of blooming,' has been Baguio's signature event since 1995. What started as a community effort to rebuild the city's spirit after the devastating 1990 earthquake has grown into one of the Philippines' most iconic festivals, drawing tourists from all over the country and abroad.

This year's 30th anniversary edition was especially significant, as it showcased Baguio's journey through hardship, healing, and renewal — a fitting narrative for a city that has always bloomed its way through adversity.

Source: Manila Bulletin