THE much-awaited Bangus Festival in Dagupan sometime in April this year will go regional under the new city administration, according to Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez, chair of this year’s festival executive committee.

Fernandez said in this year’s festival slated from April 16 to May 1, the city will invite people from other parts of the region to attend the merry celebration that will again showcase the city’s premier product—bangus.

“We will not confine our activities solely for the enjoyment of the people of Dagupan City but also for people in the other parts of the Ilocos Region who we will invite to participate,” said Fernandez, who owns a chain of shopping malls and supermarkets in northern Luzon.

On April 16, it will be a slam bang opening as the locals and their guests will be immediately treated to the exciting “Gilon, Gilon”, Pangasinan’s crude and most effective way of harvesting bangus right from the pond.

The other top feature is the “Festival of Festivals” on April 30 where another “Gilon-Gilon will be featured in the morning, including a street dancing competition in the afternoon among champions of different municipalities and cities in Pangasinan and other provinces.

This will likely draw participants from far and wide because the top prize in store for the winner is a whooping P250,000.

Fernandez said that in the crowd-drawing street-dancing competition, not only the dancers will be given importance but also the choreographers who will also be receive their respective prizes.

She said the main activity, which is the grilling of bangus in the street and in public view will be retained but the city will not aim to break into the Guinness world record again as it already achieved this in the past.

A bangus rodeo will also be held, chaired by Councilor Lino Fernandez, a bangus magnate of Dagupan himself.

So far, the city is already negotiating for the coming of popular rock bands from Metro Manila, like “Parokya ni Edgar”, “Bamboo”, “Kamikaze” and the others while television giant ABS-CBN will bring to the city its musicale “ASAP” live.

The “Bikini Open” will be held on May 1 at Tondaligan Park as part of the celebration of the “Pista’y Dayat”.

Fernandez said that unlike in the past Bangus Festivals, it is the local businessmen of Dagupan who will be given importance and allowed to display and sell their products in the day trade fairs.

“It was usually businessmen from other places who were invited to come and sell their wares in the city during the Bangus Festival. But in the coming festivities, Mayor Alipio Fernandez deemed that we should give priority and importance to the business sector of Dagupan,” the vice mayor said.

In the cookfest that will feature the “101 Ways to Cook Bangus”, it will be the local restaurateurs who will participate to enable them to promote and showcase their specialties in culinary arts. (PNA)