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| Sarangani Bay Festival |
One of the reasons why the Philippines has become a tourist hub is that foreigners and locals can enjoy the beautiful beaches wherever in the Philippines they are. The white sand, crystal clear water and the heat of the summer sun make the perfect beach scenarios in the country.
What more way to enjoy the beach? It’s by attending the biggest beach festival in Mindanao! The festival I am talking about is the Sarangani Bay Festival.
Sarangani Bay Festival, or more commonly known as the SarBay Fest, is celebrated around May in the municipality of Glan. Almost every year, the festival is held in Gumasa Beach, a beautiful shore in Sarangani.
The festival has a lot to offer to whoever comes. First, there are various beach sports competition such as volleyball and Frisbee. Then, there’s the sand sculpture competition where you will be wowed with the works of sand art from the delicate hands of the talented artists. Since Sarangani Bay is also a favorite spot for skimboarding, an exhibition of the sport is also an attraction during the festival. During nightfall, you will enjoy a groovy and eye-catching fire dance and fireworks. Then, one of the most awaited events in the festival would happen. It is the Bay Bikini Open where guys and gals who have the really good-looking bodies compete for a title. You can guess that this is the most awaited part of guys as they get to see girls’ beautiful bodies. Well, women are as lucky as there’s also the men’s category with lots of abs and biceps.
To end the festival, usually a sunset to sunrise rave party full of dance electronic music, booze, and party people takes place. It’s a party-all-you-want until you drop in Sarangani. This is also a great time to socialize with people as every year, attendees are said to be growing in number. You can meet new friends or possibly start a romantic relationship from one of the people there.
The Sarangani Bay Festival is the best way to end the summer season with a bang!
How do you get there, you may ask. If you are from Manila or Cebu, you can ride an airplane and land in the international airport of General Santos City. From there, there are air-conditioned vans that offer you privacy through your whole travel to Sarangani. Or, if you are kind of cutting on the budget, there are also public vans that can travel around an hour from General Santos to the event venue. If you are from Davao, simply contact a van to take you directly to Sarangani. That is the best way possible!
You will surely have fun and would want to come back year after year!