The Philippines is home to dozens of festivals scattered all over the archipelago, each one trying…read moreto one up the other with pomp and parade. You've got Cebu's Sinulog, Iloilo's Dinagyang, Bacolod's Dinagyang, and Aklan's Ati-atihan just to name a few. They've all got their own character and it's sad not being able to see them all. One way you can get a little taste of all those colorful festivals from the provinces is with the annual Aliwan Fiesta. The gist of the whole thing is that Aliwan aims to proudly showcase the different cultural festivals from across the Philippines, whether they are from big or small cities. Held every April or May, Aliwan is a city dweller's chance to see what all the fuss about fiestas is about. Just watching the participating contingents give their heart and soul is really inspiring. Don't forget to bring your camera and make sure your battery's fully charged. With all that color and all that action going on, you're going to be shooting for a while.

I think majority of Filipinos don't even have the luxury of time to be able to appreciate the arts…read more For some, living is a day-to-day struggle, and even for the educated masses, it is far too common to be stuck with a 9-5 that sucks the soul out of our idealism and desire for beautiful things. I think much of my local culture experience mainly comes from the once-a-year event that is Pasinaya, the Cultural Center of the Philippines' open house event, and kickoff to the show season. During Pasinaya, performers from all over the country gather at the CCP's grounds to stage different shows -from folk arts to Western classical music and art performances. The different stages and theaters in the CCP complex plays host to different forms of art and expression, such as poetry,film dance, music, drama, theater and visual art. What is interesting though is they have a pay all you can, see all you can system with minimum donations to the performers ranging from anything as low as P50, to special VIP fast passes for P3000. Last year, I was able to catch performances by such high profile performance troupes Bayanihan Dancers and the Madrigal Singers. I also attended workshops for intaglio printing, flamenco music and a performance anthology of Cordillera dances -- all in one day, so you can imagine how exhausted I was after the days' events. I just wish the CCP would extend this event to more than just one day, because there is simply way too much going on and it is impossible for one to experience all the great offerings of this open house festival. Some acts and performances are too good to miss.

If you're looking to be inspired by how vibrant and alive the Philippine arts scene is, be sure to…read moreattend the Pasinaya Open House Festival at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)! The festival was established to bring in more audiences to the CCP, especially those who don't usually go to the venue or who have no idea what it is for; as well as to showcase what its resident companies and artistic groups have to offer for the year. Usually held ever February, you can have your fill of different performances from WORLD-CLASS FILIPINO GROUPS such as the Philippine Madrigal Singers, Ballet Philippines, and Bayanihan Dance Company, among others, for as low as Php 50 to Php 300. Those who regularly attend know that lines get ridiculously longer each year, so come early. Prepare to spend the whole day if you want to immerse yourself in as many performances as you can. Yes, you may bring your kids, family, and or your barkada--this is best experienced with a group, to chat with while moving from one venue to another.

One of the most celebrated and well known festivals in the Metro is San Juan's Fiesta. Being a…read morepredominantly Catholc country, festivals celebrating saints is commonplace. San Juan for instance, commemorates the birth of St. John the Baptist, who is known in the bible as the one to baptize Jesus Christ. The fiesta is celebrated on June 24th of every year. If you were to describe the San Juan Fiesta in one word, it would be 'wet'. Or would 'drenched' by a better term? Either way, since you're commemorating John the Baptist, the tradition is to baptize other people as well. This entails dousing passersby and commuters with generous amounts of water. Games involving the use of water are also common during the festival, which include but are not limited to water balloons, water guns, and even plain pails. If you do business in the area and have no plans of getting wet, avoid going here at all costs on June 24.

If you want to know what event in the Philippines can gather 5 million Filipinos in one day? It is…read moreneither a concert nor a bazaar. It is actually the Feast of the Black Nazarene, the largest procession of the country. During these days, the whole city of Manila shuts down to give way to the bi-annual feast. Since the procession would also cover major roads, it is just good that classes and office works are suspended. Just some tips: 1. If you would join the vigil, do bring water and food 2. Know that you would not get enough sleep so be ready 3. Bring a jacket, just in case it rains and also to keep you warm during the vigil 4. Do not bring a lot of valuables

When it's Chinese New Year, the sleeping dragon comes to life in a rather majestic way as Chinatown…read moreis filled with everything red, and everything round. I have been celebrating Chinese New Year in Chinatown for 3 years now and I would daresay that this is definitely something you shouldn't miss when you are in the metro! Chinatown in Manila is the oldest one in the world, I mean, that should count for something right? Anyway, just a few tips: 1. Know the schedule of events, these would usually be posted via newspapers or online news sources 2. Eat something before you leave the house. Chinatown will be packed with people so it will be hard to find a place to eat 3. Bring water 4. Know that you'll be standing almost all the time, so bring a lot of leg strength! See you there!

Every Chinese New Year, Ongpin Street comes more alive (it is already alive during ordinary days,…read morewith vendors peddling their colorful wares), bursting with color and festivities. Ongpin Street is quite literally painted in red, as red Chinese decorations and people in red celebrate. Lion and dragon dances are held at almost every corner along the entire street, and more vendors are peddling lucky charms, and of course, the ubiquitous tikoy, for Chinese New Year. Having been to Chinese New Year celebrations here for two years, I can say that it is definitely worth experiencing. Expect a lot of people, though - yes, there are human traffic jams in Ongpin, but don't let this deter you from going, as it's really worth it. For lunch or dinner, reserve a spot at a restaurant ahead of time as the restaurants are usually crowded. This is what we did on my first Chinese New Year here. Or, get well away from Ongpin Street to eat to avoid the crowds, which is what we did on my second time.

The Feast calls itself "the happiest place on Earth", and you'll only understand why when you've…read morebeen to one. I've been in this (Catholic) charismatic religious gathering since 2010, and I can say it has continually offered me not just spiritual growth, it has also helped me in all aspects of my life. It's basically composed of three parts: The Holy Eucharist, a worship session, and Sunday series talks about SUCCEEDING IN YOUR LIFE. Yes. It's not just "religious" (of course there is a huge part on that), but what The Feast offers every attendee is advice on how to achieve your dreams, fix relationships, having an open mind, developing your talents, growing your business, being a good family member, leading your team, helping the world, having a great retirement, having great health--SUCCEEDING IN YOUR LIFE! (I guess the only topic I haven't heard them speak about is about being responsible towards the environment and the planet in general, but I'll cross my fingers for that to be a topic one day!) If there's a valuable lesson I've learned attending here, it's these two: "money that is in good hands is good money" and "be a vegetarian" (because let's face it, being a vegetarian is awesome). On a more technical note though, The Feast is just world-class. I have never been to anything like it. There is not a dull moment here. The music is great (they have a jazz/string ensemble, hello!?) and a rock band playing modern worship songs. They even compose ther own and we sing it all the time. The aesthetics are superb, from the video presentations, talk trailers, stage set, funky modern lighting, graphic design, overall production, everything! Did I mention you can also catch everything you've missed online and in print for free? In other words, this is just the whole shebang. There's also NO ENTRANCE FEE, it's cozy and air-conditioned, situated in fantastic venues, and led by a world-class speaker, author and business man, Bo Sanchez. Take my word for it, you will leave the place a changed human. Just. TRY. (Oh, this is by the way, not the only Feast in the world. It's just one of them. You have a Feast near you. Visit their website to find them!)

Viva Manila is a yearly event that just started off last year although I did miss this year because…read moreof school duties. Ugh, studies can sometimes be in the way, right? Anyway, I love attending events like this because it makes me feel better about being a Filipino because I get exposed to history and our culture that I only get to experience in books. What I also love about Viva Manila is that it is held in Intramuros--my favourite place in Manila. They also invite artists to sell their crafts and there's also a slam poetry that encourages poets to channel their works not only on paper but to tell out their thoughts through spoken words. How wonderful would that be to speak out in front of everyone and express your thoughts with the emotions that you have while writing them. In Viva Manila, not only does the old Filipino culture get celebrated but also the new.

Viva Manila is an organisation that promotes arts and culture in the old city of Manila and…read moreespecially bringing back Intramuros to live. Pasyal Sundays is a monthly, free event that is organized by Viva Manila. It is generally held in General Luna street or Maestranza and it is always car free. They have around 50 booths with local foods and drinks and crafts. And while the market is going on they have various local artist performing things such a parkour, martial arts and as the night becomes darker they have poets and musicians coming up on stage. For anybody who loves manila or wants to understand the city better, this event is an awesome place to go that will inspire you to know and care more about Manila.

The annual Metro Manila Film Festival has got to be the most popular film festivals in the…read morePhilippines. It did after all start in the 1970's. I feel like this film festival is already like a holiday to us Filipinos because it's nationalistic to the core. It promotes and supports solely Filipino films running from December to January the next year in all theaters nationwide. But for others who still want to watch foreign films, 3D and IMAX theaters are excluded (if you didn't know). During the start of the festival, there's a parade of floats that represents each film included in the festival. It's quite an event for the masses since the actors and actresses greets people from their respective floats. The traffic gets pretty heavy so don't pass by Parañaque and Roxas Boulevard where the parade takes place this year. Important to know first hand! It's usually chaotic and super crowded since Filipinos love their celebrities. XD During this festival season, I usually watch comedy, documentaries or historical movies as I seem to be drawn towards them and I always highly enjoy them. Most of their films are also highly commercialized so if you're into those kinds of films, this festival is for you. There's also an awards night which is great to give due credit to the filmmakers that deserve the recognition.