Dagupan’s Bountiful Bangus Festival

Bangus Festival is an annual celebration in Dagupan City, Pangasinan held every month of April. It commemorates the province’s Bonuan Bangus (milkfish), which is renowned for its unique taste. The Festival was first celebrated in 2002 and the idea of former Mayor Benjamin S. Lim, who wished to highlight the local bangus industry and promote Dagupan as the Bangus Capital of the World. In 2003, Dagupan’s Bangus Festival was renowned by the Book of the world, Guinness Book of World Records by its “Kalutan ed Dagupan” activity as the longest Barbecue of the world.

The Bangus Festival is one of the country’s major and most colorful festivities of local culture and industry. As Dagupan City is mainly known for its tasty bangus products, the yearly affair has consistently amazed people from the Philippines to savor the native food and to enjoy the many activities for the entire festivity. To this day, the Bangus Festival has become even bigger and more exciting. Jumpstarting another decade of feasting on abundant bangus harvests are new events that further emphasize the best of Dagupan’s produce.

The highlights of the Bangus Festival are the following:

1. The Bangus Rodeo – the traditional Bangus Rodeo is up in searching for the Heaviest Bangus, Longest Bangus, Prettiest Bangus, Fastest Bangus Classifier, Fastest Bangus Deboner and Fastest Bangus Eater.
2. The Bangus Ed Karosa – one of the major things to see of the Festival because of its colorful decorated floats.
3. 101 Ways to cook Bangus – the best cooks showcase their skills in preparing and cooking the delicious bangus in many distinctive delicacies.
4. Gilon! Gilon! Ed Dalan – joyful and colorful street dancing competition describing the bountiful catch of bangus.
5. Kalutan ed Dalan & Bangusan Street Rock and Party – known bands will be presenting and rocking the streets of Dugapan people while enjoying the grilled bangus and other seafood. During these events, barbeques will be lining the street with free bangus to eat and of course along with some stages for entertainment and music. For the party goers, these events will surely get an extravagant blowout!

How to get to there:

 

1. From Manila, ride a local bus or a Victory Liner straight to Dagupan. They are 24/7 available. You can find the terminals for Victory Liner in Pasay, Cubao and Sampaloc.
2. If you are coming from Clark, you can either take the bus at the Marquee Mall Terminal or Dau-Mabalacat.

From its humble start in 2002 to an abundant festivity at present, the Bangus Festival has come a long way in making its place on the Philippines list of best fiestas and in admiration of the overflowing abundance of their abundant catch, the Bangus Festival was born and it is now recognized by the Department of Tourism and Association of Tourism Offices as one of the top best festivals celebrated in the country, Philippines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Street dancing graces opening of Dagupan’s Bangus Festival