The 2013 Kadayawan Festival Experience

Opening number at Abreeza

August is definitely the month of celebration and thanksgiving. Aside from turning a year older every first day of August, my beloved hometown, Davao City, celebrates the famous Kadayawan Festival every third week of the month.

I was really happy that after my graduation, I'd be flying home to Davao to experience this year's Kadayawan Festival!

Kadayawan - The King of Festivals

Colorful culture of Davao.

Every third week of August, Davao City becomes more vibrant and more colorful. The main streets are decorated with colorful buntings and fruit stands sprout like mushrooms as they sell Davao-grown fruits such as the famous Durian, Mangosteen, and succulent Pomelos sell at rock bottom prices. Kadayawan Festival, dubbed as the King of Festivals, is just around the corner and I cannot wait myself to experience it again this year!

Colors of Davao: Kadayawan Festival 2012

Davao City, bursting with vibrant colors, celebrated the 27th Kadayawan Festival following last year's theme, 10 Tribes, 1 Vibe.

Dubbed as The King of Festivals, Kadayawan Festival is known for its colorful dances and parades which celebrates the natural abundance of the region and serves as a thanksgiving ritual by the locals to "Manama" or the Supreme Being.

It was my second time to experience Kadayawan Festival but I thought that this year's Kadayawan was more exciting and more fun compared last year.

Here are some of my photos I took during the Pamulak sa Dalan event (Floral Float Parade). All photos were taken using my DSLR camera (Canon EOS 1100D) armed with an L-series 70-200 mm telephoto lens. Mind you, the whole equipment were heavy. Add the fact that I need to squeeze my way just to have a better view (this year, I didn't get a media pass). Despite the intense heat of the sun, and the crowd (I am 50 shades darker by the way), everything was worth it.

What a great way to spend my weekend!

Celebrate Kadayawan at the Apo View Hotel

In 2007, the Apo View Hotel celebrated Kadayawan Festival in line with its 60th anniversary of being one of the country’s premier hotel and the second oldest hotel in the whole Philippines. This year, Apo View Hotel gives you more color to the most-awaited festival as it showcases different tribes and the diverse culture of Mindanao.

Ten Tribes, One Vibe.

Now there's a valid reason to spend the long weekend here in Davao!

Dubbed as the 'King of Festivals', Kadayawan Festival is celebrated every third week of August. The said festival is an annual thanksgiving celebration for the bountiful blessings that the city received.

Collage of my Kadayawan shots, taken last year.

It will still follow last year's theme: Ten Tribes, One Vibe. The tribes of Ata, Matigsalug, Ovu-Manuvo, Klata-Djangan, Tagabawa, Tausog, Maguindanao, Maranao, Kagan, and Sama are the ethnic groups that comprised the 10 different tribes of Davao.