By BEVERLY C. PAOYON
GUMASA, Sarangani (May 22, 2015) – Sarangani Bay Festival, or more known now as Sarbay, continuously establishes its status as the biggest beach festival in the Philippines.
This was proven by Sarbay 2015 on May 15–16. According to the Sarangani Tourism and Investment Promotion Center, an estimated 127,000 tourists — domestic and foreign alike — came to the white sand beach of Gumasa strip in Glan and experienced a one-of-a-kind summer party.
Melody Cosep, a first-timer of Sarbay, testified to this and shared her experience of Sarbay 2015.
“I don’t usually party. I mean, I do not party at all. I came to Sarbay because of my job-related duties as part of the documentation team, but I never expected that I would experience the fun beyond my expectations,” Cosep stated.
She described her entire weekend as an “absolute thrill!”
“Watching the activities that were taking place made me forget all the stresses I am facing,” said Cosep, a law student from General Santos City.
“Summer Party at the Bay was immensely exhilarating! I did not anticipate anything because I had only one idea of the term foam party and it’s the thought of dancing under a shower of bubbles,” Cosep narrated.
“My cousin and I stayed at the VIP area at around nine in the evening, and the next thing we knew, it was already dawn! We both returned to our hotel room very wet with foam and paint and a bit groggy, but with no regrets at all,” she added.
Yet even for this, Cosep said that the best part of her Sarbay experience was the “Splash in the Sky.”
“It was honestly the best fireworks display I have ever seen so far! What made it even better was because I watched it together with my family. My younger siblings were more than amazed at how colorful the dark sky appeared. The blaze of beautiful shades of light made everyone around us astonished that all we can hear and say is recurrent screaming and clapping,” Cosep said.
“Words are not enough to describe the splendour of Sarangani Bay, the pristine waters of the Sarangani beaches, the elegance of the Sarangani people, and the grandeur of Sarbay Fest 2015,” Cosep said.
“I will definitely be back next year!”
Aside from the nightly parties, Sarbay also features activities and events that provide other recreation for tourists, making the festival a perfect venue to have fun every summer. Among these are the Pinta sa Baybayon, sand sculpture, kite flying competition, and Zumba dancing.
Sarbay is also a hub for sports enthusiasts and athletes alike as sports competitions such as the 15-kilometer Swim-Across-the-Bay, triathlon, beach volleyball, ultimate frisbee, swimming, and banca (boat) racing are present in the festival.
One of the most unique aspects of Sarbay Fest, unlike any other beach festivals, is its constant promotion towards environmental preservation and cleanliness.
On the recent Sarbay 2015, a clean-up drive within the entire Gumasa shore was initiated by the provincial government and Smart Communications to promote responsible partying.
With all of these present, Sarbay Fest can be at par, if not surpass, any other beach party in the country. Sarbay can easily contend with “high-end” parties held in Boracay.
As the years passed by, the number of tourists coming from different places outside Mindanao is steadily increasing, making the attendees of Sarbay more diverse and colorful.
With the recent 10th Sarbay, it was already clear that undermining Sarbay is inappropriate anymore. A clear proof of this is the number of corporate giants in the country that are backing the fest such as Smart Communications, Globe Telecom, San Miguel, Delimondo, KCC Malls and 2GO.
Sarbay also boosted the economy of Sarangani, as it opened more opportunities for entrepreneurs to establish their businesses --specifically those that are related to food and tourism.
Safe to say, Sarbay, undeniably, has indeed grown to become the biggest beach festival in the Philippines. And confidently, it will hold this distinction for the next years to come. (Beverly C. Paoyon/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)
