Fruit Festival is the yearly festival in the town of Sablan, Benguet, Philippines from September 2 to 4. It is a three-day affair that celebrates Sablan as the fruit capital of the province of Benguet.
History of Fruit Festival
The first ever Fruit Festival in the town of Sablan was held in 2015 within the term of Mayor Arthur Baldo. Its schedule in the the months of August and September is considered the harvest season of fruits.
Formerly, the town was known primarily as a producer of banana and referred to as the banana capital of the north beginning in the 1980s.
However, its plantations were affected by the banana bunchy top disease that stunted the growth of the trees and caused production to plummet in the following decade.
Farmers switched to other crops and fruits, and the government led the initiative to push for farm diversification.
The fest thus has become a culmination of the years and efforts put towards recovery from the banana disease in the 90’s.
It puts a spotlight on agriculture particularly the cultivation of fruit-bearing trees as one of the main drivers of the town’s economy as well as to give an alternative vehicle to increase the income of growers and farmers.
It is also a means to exhibit the town’s products, improve its tourism industry, and boost the local economy.
A number of the featured fruits are banana, coconut, dragon fruit, guava, lanzones, lanzones, papaya, pineapple, pomelo, and santol.
It was put on hold in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19 pandemic. Re-staging occured in 2022.
Fruit Festival Activities
Two of the mainstays of the Fruit Festival is the Agro-Industrial Trade Fair where the town’s products are showcased and the parade of floats decorated with a harvest of various tropical fruits.
There are also talks, farmer’s congress, and forums geared towards helping growers. Other events include fruit competitions and presentations, art contests, entertainment, variety shows, etc.
How to reach Sablan, Benguet
Flights are opened to Baguio Loakan Airport, which is about an hour away (about 60 kilometers) from the municipality of Sablan. Another alternative is through bus trips from Manila that would take about six hours on land travel.
References
- Redjie Melvic Cawis. Fruit fest in Sablan set on Sept. 2 to 4. Philippine Information Agency. August 30, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022
- Lauren Alimondo. Sablan celebrates 5th fruit festival. SunStar. September 2, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2022
- Liza Agoot. Benguet town opens fruit festival. Philippine Information Agency. September 3, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2022
- Roderick Osis. 1st Fruit Festival held. SunStar Baguio through PressReader. September 7, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2022
Fruit Festival Summary
Name Fruit Festival Celebration Agriculture, Food, Fruits Country Philippines Date September 4 Duration 3 days Email municipalityofsablan@gmail.com Established 2015 Facebook www.facebook.com Founder Arthur Baldo Location Sablan, Benguet Organizer Municipal Government of Sablan Website sablan.gov.ph
| Name | Fruit Festival |
|---|---|
| Celebration | Agriculture, Food, Fruits |
| Country | Philippines |
| Date | September 4 |
| Duration | 3 days |
| municipalityofsablan@gmail.com | |
| Established | 2015 |
| www.facebook.com | |
| Founder | Arthur Baldo |
| Location | Sablan, Benguet |
| Organizer | Municipal Government of Sablan |
| Website | sablan.gov.ph |