Sydney’s George Street Xmas parade to showcase Philippine christmas vibrancy
Philippine tourism in Sydney Christmas parade in 2007
Australians will have the chance to experience another Christmas festivity, Philippine style.
Complete with music and choreographed dancing, exquisite costume design and homegrown Christmas décor, the Sydney Christmas Parade on Sunday, 30 November will treat spectators a great sample of what to see in the Philippines on Christmas season.
The Philippine Department of Tourism will participate in the parade a second time around, after raving reviews of its participation at the inaugural parade last year.
“Last year’s participation was a story, but this is an epic,” said Philippine Tourism Attaché, Consuelo Jones about the 80-person delegation in this year’s parade, half of which were flown directly from the Philippines.
“The Philippines is still a voyage for discovery for most travelers but this will give a larger-than-life glimpse of its rich and diverse culture and heritage”.
The Philippines is reported to hold the distinction of celebrating the world’s longest Christmas season, with caroling commencing as early as September.
Traveling Theatre
This year’s float concept has been described as a “traveling theatre”, capturing the Christmas spirit of a town setting from different, moving angles.
Philippine tourism officials with some Bayanihan members in Sydney Christmas parade, 2007
The float will feature a two-story replica of the century-old Spanish ancestral houses preserved in the Philippines, many of which have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for their unique fusion of Asian building design with European colonial architecture tracing back to the 16th Century.
In a rare treat, performances by the world-renowned National Dance Company of the Philippines, the Bayanihan, will bring an eye-popping vision of the Christmas fiesta to life.
The dancers will hit the ground running, without a pause for breath in the hour-long parade, to showcase their lavish costumes and heart-throbbing dance sensibility.
Joining them in the procession are the street dancers of the Karansa Performing Arts, a local award-winning dance troop from the province of Cebu.
To top things off, twelve-feet tall giants made out of papier-mâché – known locally as the ‘Higantes’ – will be brought from the Philippines and will add further theatricalism.
Lucky winner enjoys Manila’s vibrancy
The Philippine Department of Tourism and the Sunday Telegraph Christmas Parade will also be giving away a luxury holiday to the Philippines, where one lucky winner and a friend will fly to the Philippines and enjoy the vibrant cultural city of Manila in five-star accommodation as well as kick-back and relax on the island of Boracay, known as one of the best beach destinations in the world.
The parade, modeled on the giant Macy’s parade in New York, will for the first time feature inflated balloons from New York as it winds its way along a 1.9km route from Wynyard to Darling Harbour.
Last year, the Sydney City Council touted the inaugural parade as “the most spectacular public event since the 2000 Sydney Olympics”. /Based on report of Christoph van Opstal / Philippine Tourism
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