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Makati's Festival of Lights dances on 'til Jan. 7, 2018

By Aerol John Pateña

December 25, 2017, 8:51 pm

MANILA -- One of the most popular Christmas attractions in Metro Manila is the annual Festival of Lights Show at the Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati City.

The event has become a Christmas tradition for Makati residents, visitors, shoppers, and employees of the financial district. The sight of colorful lights dancing to the beat of blaring but pleasing music proves to be a joyful Yuletide experience to spectators, young and old alike.

This year’s Festival of Lights features around 1.6 million LED lights in colors of red, green, blue, silver, and gold moving to three musical medleys of different beats: “Pinoy Fiesta” by Roy del Valle, “Traditional Christmas” by Von de Guzman, and “Techno” by Tris Sunguitan. The lights and sounds shows were choreographed by award-winning director Voltaire de Jesus and Luther Gumia.

For this year, the Ayala Festival of Lights features around 1.6 million LED lights in colors of red, green, blue, silver, and gold moving to three musical medleys of different beats: “Pinoy Fiesta” by Roy del Valle, “Traditional Christmas” by Von de Guzman, and “Techno” by Tris Sunguitan.

The shows for the lights and sounds have been choreographed by award-winning director Voltaire de Jesus and Luther Gumia.

Kats Nasayao, who works for a travel management firm in the Makati Central Business District, makes it a point to watch the lights and sound show every year with her officemates to get a feel of the spirit of Christmas as well as to relieve stress from her daily work.

“The Ayala Triangle lights show is always enchanting," she said. "The theme is always new every year that you always look forward to it.” 

Jade Miguel, a media relations officer in the Senate, said: “Families, especially kids, would really enjoy watching the spectacle because of the colors and music. Walang entrance fee, so free lang siya for all (There’s no entrance fee, so everyone can watch it for free).”

The Ayala Festival of Lights has become a Christmas tradition for Makati residents, visitors, shoppers, and employees of the financial district.

Even Filipinos who are living abroad and are spending Christmas in the Philippines to watch the Festival as a way to bond with their families and friends.

Graciela Bertuben, a balikbayan from Los Angeles in California, said her family watched the show because of favorable feedback from friends and relatives here in the country.

“We are really impressed with the Christmas lights show, as this gives us a feeling of what Pinoy Christmas is. Nothing beats the Christmas celebration in the Philippines in terms of being festive and enjoyable,” she said.The Festival of Lights has been cited as one of Conde Nast Traveller’s Seven Most Spectacular Lights in the World together with Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark, Champ-Elysees in Paris, and Japan’s Kobe Luminarie.

The attraction extends to Makati’s major streets, particularly, Ayala Avenue, Paseo de Roxas, and Makati Avenue, where over a million Christmas lights showcase patterns of native wooden fabrics, such as the inabel and burdado of Luzon; banig tikog of Visayas; and T’boli, ukil, and Yakan of Mindanao.

The festival, which runs every 30 minutes from 6 to 10 p.m. goes on from November 9 this year to January 7, 2018.  (PNA)

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