SarBay fest sizzles with grand beach party

The quaint village of Gumasa in Glan town comes to life once more for the Sarangani Bay (SarBay) Festival, touted as the country’s biggest and hippest beach party, which is set today until May 26.

Now on its 11th edition, this year is themed Sarbay United and will showcase the tourism gems of southern Philippines.

“The Department of Tourism and the Provincial Local Government Unit of Sarangani are committed to inculcate the importance of continuous awareness to protect and preserve the resources of Sarangani Bay,” says the Commitment of Support signed by Sarangani Gov. Steve Chiongbian Solon and former secretary Wanda Teo.

Solon said that this year’s edition celebrates the innovations the beach event has undergone through the years, most notably its advocacy for sustainable tourism and family-oriented recreation.

SarBay Fest officially kicks off with the 15K Swim Across the Bay relay and I Run Coz I Care, a (3K, 5K, 10K) fun run for the benefit of the Marawi siege victims last year.

In the evening, Callalily will open the nightly merrymaking with the San Miguel Beer Night.

Sporting events include the SarBay Strongman, a 50K ultramarathon, beach volleyball and football, skim boarding, frisbee, jet-ski race, bancathon, mountain bike, skim boarding and frisbee tournaments.

Spicing up the fest are zumba sessions with the Legendz, drum-beating competition, fire-dancing exhibitions, body painting and family sand sculpture contests and the Globe Telecom Party.

The search for SarBay Bodies 2018 and Talk N Text Tropa Trip Summer Music Festival #ShareYourJams tomorrow, May 25 will continue to make the nights sizzle with DJs Sound of One, Hannah Ichiko and Clyde Harris.

Livening up the evenings of May 25 and 26 is Xanadu: Hidden Paradise, a premium party featuring top international disc jockeys — La Crème of Thailand, Kraiz of Italy, Zamir Ayeb of Netherlands and Djane Djoly of Ukraine, backed by Manila-based DJs Jenil, Ron Poe, Jet Boado, Kat DJ, Jayvee Datahan, and locals DJ Torch, DJ Law, LV Lim, DJ Yancy and Kevin Rage.

The festivity will draw to a close with the SarBay Eco-Party which covers environmental activities such as beach clean-ups and mangrove tree-planting.

SarBay Fest is organized by the Sarangani Provincial Tourism Council and supported by the Province of Sarangani, DOT Region 12 and the Municipality of Glan. It is a consistent recipient of the Best Tourism Event Award from the Association of Tourism Officers in the Philippines.

The event, which drew more than 100,000 visitors in 2016, was cancelled last year in solidarity with the people of Lanao Del Sur after Martial Law was proclaimed in Mindanao due to the Marawi siege.

For updates, visit the Sarangani Bay Festival official fan page on Facebook.