Thousands gather for Panagbenga float parade

BAGUIO CITY — Residents and visitors were in awe as beautifully adorned floats, decorated with a variety of colorful and fragrant flowers, paraded down Session Road during the Grand Float Parade on Sunday.

By 5 a.m., and even earlier, hundreds, if not thousands, of spectators — both locals and tourists — had gathered along Session Road and Harrison Road. The floats were already positioned along Session Road the night before, with parade organizers, contingents, and marshals assembling hours ahead of the start.

This year’s parade featured 42 entries, including both competing and non-competing floats, as well as Hall of Fame awardees.

Leading the parade was the float of the City Government of Baguio. Other government agencies joining the procession included the Department of Tourism (DoT) Cordillera, the Commission on Elections, with National Chairman George Garcia on board, the Philippine Retirement Authority and the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprises Zone Authority, with its chief, Mark Lapid, and actor Joey Marquez aboard.

According to the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Incorporated, this year marked the highest number of floats in the event’s history.

Among the non-competing entries were two large floats from the Baguio Country Club and SM Prime Holdings, both recognized as Hall of Famers for their outstanding contributions to past Panagbenga float parades, as well as floats from DoT Cordillera and the Paragon Hotel and Suites.

The float categories included 11 entries in the small cart float category, 10 in the medium float category, and 14 in the large float category.

After the parade, all the floats were displayed at the Melvin Jones Football Grounds, where visitors could view them and take photos as mementos of the grand event.