Covid-19 has impacted every aspect of the travel industry, including art and culture. The fragmented setting has led to the loss of income from auctions and sale disruption, lack of visitors, and lack of workers. In pursuit of getting back on its knees, The UNESCO Creative City of Baguio has decided to do one “crazy” thing—push through Ibagiw 2020, the Third Baguio Creative City Festival in the middle of the pandemic.
Of course, with a new, greater purpose, everything will be different this year. “We invite everyone to experience a different side of Baguio in the new normal,” says Tourism Sec. Berna Romulo-Puyat. “Ibagiw’s commitment to highlighting the city’s heritage fulfills DOT’s vision to strengthen and push cultural tourism.”
Here are the five reasons why you should experience Ibagiw 2020 before it wraps up on the 30th of November.
You can visit your favorite reimagined destinations with the new normal in mind.
If you miss going on a cultural hop, you can rediscover top favorite spots such as the Museo Kordilyera, the Botanical Garden, Ili-Likha Artists’ Wateringhole, Tam-awan Village, and BenCab Museum, all with heightened safety regulations and new spectacles.
You can buy handcrafted unique artisanal products.
The event hosts an artisanal market offering variety of crafts that highlight the life and colors of Baguio. You can buy a piece of Baguio as souvenirs and gifts off Mandeko Kito every weekend of November at the UP Oblation Grounds.
Gape at a wide collection of cultural crafts and folk arts through the Creative Crawl
All activities and venues were curated to provide an immersive, multi-sensorial experience that showcases Baguio’s creativity in gastronomy, nature, and arts and crafts through exhibits and installations. Each center—Khawa, Sedong, Ditop, and Bedalan—brings together a holistic experience that promotes creativity, culture, and commerce.
You can also meet and interact with Baguio’s National artists including Kidlat Tahimik and Benedict Cabrera, or BenCab, to let you know how their creative mind works.
The lush gardens and pine trees to let you relax while being active.
You can go walk the trails of Camp John Hay to recharge in a traditional, therapeutic way through forest bathing. Ditop also offers historical, spiritual renewal, and garden walks at Mirador Hill, wood carving, eco-trails, and a live demonstration of how a garbage dump transformed into the Venus Garden.
All photos from Baguio Creative City