BAGUIO CITY – There will be no street dancing and float parade in this year's iteration of the Panagbenga Flower Festival in February, according to Mayor Benjamin Magalong.
Magalong said the much awaited street dancing and grand float parades, two of the major attractions of the flower festival, will not yet be allowed as part of the preventive measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the city.
He said visitors and residents will still witness a number of the traditional events lined up for the 2021 Panagbenga or Baguio flower festival as part of the efforts of the city and the organizers to gradually and safely allow the opening of the local tourism industry.
Magalong said that among the initial activities of the flower festival that had been approved are the landscaping competition among the schools and barangays and other similar activities that will not draw huge crowds of people.
He said members of the Board of Directors of the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation, Inc. (BFFFI) will be constantly providing the local government with the latest updates on the ongoing preparations for the conduct of the annual flower festival that will contribute to the efforts of concerned government agencies and the local government in reviving the tourism industry and the overall economy of the city that were heavily impacted by the pandemic.
Magalong said the adherence to the basic health and safety protocols is needed to curb the spread of the virus in the city.
The Panagbenga owns the distinction of being the only festival in the country included in the elite list of festivals in the world under the hospices of the International Festivals and Events Association.