Marikina, Taguig street parties to welcome 2020

Bonifacio High Street in Taguig will transform into a party place on New Year's Eve. (fortcity.com photo)

The cities of Marikina and Taguig in Metro Manila will welcome 2020 with firework displays and street parties.

In a continuing effort to urge people to refrain from lighting illegal and hazardous firecrackers that might cause deaths or injuries, the Marikina City government will again hold a community-based fireworks display and yearend concert on Monday, 30 December.

Mayor Marcelino Teodoro said the annual activities are free to the public with the aim to lessen the incidents of firecracker-related injuries and damages to properties. The event will be held 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Marikina Sports Center.

“We here in Marikina want everyone to be safe and to have a fun-filled celebration of New Year that’s why we hold Fireworks Display and Year-End Concert. We celebrate this annually as a community and as a big happy family,” said Teodoro.

After the concert, there will be a 15-minute long pyro-musical display.

Winnie Mariano, event manager of the Fireworks Display and Year-End Concert, said the events began in the late 1990s as the local government’s gift to all residents.

“This has become a tradition for Marikeños to watch the concert and fireworks display yearly. Not only residents of Marikina but also people from nearby cities such as Quezon City, Pasig City and Rizal have come every year to watch the concert and the fireworks,” he said.

In 2018, some 70,000 people attended the back-to-back events.

In Taguig, all roads will lead to what is said to be the biggest street party in Metro Manila.

“New Year’s Eve is a festive time in the Philippines. We follow a lot of traditions to usher in a prosperous New Year with our families and loved ones. We invite everyone to the City of Taguig as we witness 2020 Rising. The celebration will also be our way of giving thanks for the blessings of 2019,” said Taguig Mayor Lino Cayetano.

The whole stretch of Bonifacio High Street at Bonifacio Global City will be transformed into a party place on 31 December.

“We at BGC always make it a point to put our BGCitizens at the heart of everything that we do, and as a new year comes, we want to bring together the community and their families to celebrate and thank them for the success of the year that was,” said Sean Luarca, BGC marketing and community relations manager.

Taguig’s countdown to the new year will kick off with a mass at 6 p.m. (PNA)