CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – This city’s signature spectacle that has for decades awed millions of spectators, live and online, promises to be even more spectacular this year.
The 2023 Giant Lantern Festival set at Robinsons Starmills here at 6 p.m. on Dec. 16 will showcase brighter lights, more brilliant colors, livelier music and “secret plays” with the entries of competing barangays Bulaon, Calulut, Del Pilar, Dolores, San Jose, San Juan, San Nicolas, Sta. Lucia, Sto. Niño, and Telabastagan.
City tourism officer Ching Pangilinan said the cap on the number of bulbs per lantern has been lifted by the GLF organizers in favor of the amount of wattage to “allow the flow of greater creativity among the lantern makers.”
“To ensure that there’s going to be intricate interplay of light with the music, the number of bulbs matter. So, we have already removed the limit given that they don’t exceed the electric consumption. Lanterns can use as many as 13,000 to 15,000 light bulbs as long as they follow the maximum of 350,000 watts,” she noted.
Each participating barangay received a subsidy of P400,000 to help defray the cost of making their lanterns even more spectacular.
“During the last inspection, our lanterns are at 70-80% completed, meaning at the last stage of final touches. We are assured that they will be up and ready to shine their best on Dec. 16,” Pangilinan said.
The actual competition on Dec. 16 consists of three rounds: first, individual performances of the lanterns with their interplay of lights and their chosen music; second, the showdown featuring three groups of lanterns improvising their performances following impromptu Kapampangan or Filipino Christmas songs; and the final round, the simultaneous performance of all participating lanterns bursting in grand show playing to unified music.
Aside from the revolving trophy and bragging rights, this year’s champion will take home a cash prize of P300,000, the first runner up P200,000 and the second runner up P100,000.
Exhibition nights
After the Dec. 16 competition, there will be nightly exhibition of the giant lanterns at Robinsons Starmills Pampanga from Dec. 17 to Jan. 1, 2024.
The lanterns will also be showcased in front of the Metropolitan Cathedral on Dec. 24; at the town center in Calulut on Dec. 27-28; and in Marquee Mall in Angeles City on Dec. 29-30.
“Every night during the exhibition stages, the lantern show is the same as on competition night itself. If you want to see the lanterns much closer, watch during the exhibition nights,” Pangilinan said. “Though, if you look at the designs of the lanterns, they are never really the same.”
“We also must understand that at the heart of the festival is the preservation of culture and tradition. So as much as we want to introduce innovations in the festival organization, we are still very strong on the common community goal of preserving this as part of the Kapampangan tradition and Fernandino culture that we want to pass on to the next generation,” she enthused.
The GLF competition night and all exhibition nights are for free. The organizers remind the public that passes are not for sale.
People may also watch the performances of the giant lanterns at home through live media coverage via the Facebook Pages of CLTV36, City of San Fernando Information Office, and City of San Fernando Tourism Office.
Pangilinan said that some 60 food booths featuring local cuisine presented by Kapampangan micro, small and medium entrepreneurs will be in the festival area for the crowd to enjoy a full festival experience.
Prohibited at both the festival and exhibition sites are dangerous or hazardous items including frisbees, illegal substances, explosives or ammunition, fireworks, firearms, knives, blades or other deadly weapons, scooters and skateboards, laser devices, smoke canisters, signs or items with inappropriate brandings, unauthorized flyers, and spray paint or large industrial-style permanent marker pens.
Guests are not allowed to bring in the venue transmitting devices, drones, large suitcases, illegal merchandise, darts, liquor, cold boxes, air horns, and backpacks. Punto News Team/PR
