All is set for this year’s Bangus Festival which will be celebrated from April 9 to May 1.

Interviewed on Saturday, Mayor Belen Fernandez said the weeks-long event will open with a fun run to advocate calamity and disaster preparedness among the residents.

“With the calamities happening in some parts of the world, it is important to be prepared,” Fernandez said in Filipino.

She said the crowd-drawing Gilon-Gilon Ed Baley Street Dancing Competition will be held on April 26.

To celebrate and further boost the city’s popular commodity, bangus (milkfish), activities such as Bangus Rodeo, a game on the fastest and most efficient bangus sorter; search for the heaviest bangus; and the “Bangusine,” which will feature various unique dishes with bangus as the primary raw material will be held on April 28.

Fernandez said they again target to grill around 20,000 pieces of bangus in 1,100 grills during the Bangusan Street Party, the highlight of the festival that will be held on April 30.

Each one-meter grill will be sold at PHP4,000 and will include five kilos of bangus and charcoal, among others.

Last year, the street party alone drew a crowd of around one million, which benefited the city’s economy.

“I don’t think there will be a problem with the supply of bangus since we have already ordered the supply beforehand,” Fernandez said.

The street party will again be held on the stretch of De Venecia Road, where artists and bands are set to perform on various stages.

Fernandez said among the confirmed guest performers are TJ Monteverde and KC Tandingan, as well as Spongecola and Karylle.

Fernandez assured the festival’s attendees that their security and safety have been among the organizers’ top priorities. (PNA)