Marikina opens Christmas Shoe Bazaar

The Marikina City government opened its annual Christmas Shoe Bazaar at Freedom Park on Friday, 13 November, featuring 40 local brands selling shoes, bags and other leather products.

The bazaar will run until 10 January 2027, with participating vendors given free spaces by the city government.

Mayor Marjorie Ann “Maan” Teodoro said the city was seeking to expand its leather goods industry beyond shoemaking, citing the production of bags, wallets, belts and other products by local manufacturers and artisans.

She proposed adding locally made leather goods to the exhibits at the Marikina Shoe Museum and urged members of the Philippine Footwear Federation Inc. to contribute products to its collection.

Teodoro also cited the 6 November visit of delegates from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Socio-Cultural Community Council to the museum.

The delegation, which included representatives from nine ASEAN member states, met local shoemakers and learned about Marikina’s footwear industry.