Melo Villareal
Isabela Holds the Guinness World Record for ‘Dancing Scarecrows’
Ilagan City, Isabela — The Bambanti Festival produced a new world record for Guinness when 2,495 performers wearing scarecrow costumes did a simultaneous street dance number in Ilagan City, Isabela. Bambanti is an Ilocano term meaning scarecrow.
2019 Bambanti Festival Street Dance Competition
The number of performers during the event has exceeded the prerequisite of the Guinness World Record of 250 performers dancing at the same time for five minutes or less. An Official Certificate from Guinness adjudicator Paulina Sapinska was given to organizers Governor Faustino G. Dy III and Vice Governor Antonio T. Albano after the street dance showdown.
People shouted in excitement when the certificate was handed to their local leaders. It was indeed an amazing event for the province. The festive event showcased the dance performances of 25 contingents to a lively Bambanti tune for two hours. Their costumes, which vary by group, depict the characteristics of a scarecrow.
Bambanti Festival started in 1997 in Isabela. It’s a week-long celebration to commemorate the province’s history, heritage, and life. The festival celebrates the natural resources of Isabela. This year, the event’s theme is ‘Victory of Isabela Spirit’ or Tagumpay ng Pusong Isabela in Filipino.
The festival was full of merry-making, like the Giant Bambanti Parade, Bambanti Streetdance, Bambanti Festival King and Queen Search, Showdown Competition, Bambanti Village, and Master Kusinero Cooking Competition. The event also celebrates the Bambanti or scarecrow, which is the ‘protector’ of the province. The Bambanti is their festival mascot.
The festival is a huge annual celebration for the locals of the province. They transform the provincial capitol in Ilagan (capital of Isabela) into Bambanti Village every year, and the entire village is dotted with food kiosks and shops selling various indigenous world-class products, lifestyle merchandise items, and cuisine as a pride of place. Each participating City and Municipality showcased its own Agro-Ecotourism Installation that showcases its very own giant Bambanti and its local products.
Their most common materials are grain because they are abundant in the province. The festival village is visited by many tourists, and it’s always jam-packed.
The Bambanti Festival is last year’s Hall of Famer at the 2018 Aliw Awards for Best Festival Practices and Performance. Bambanti Festival won the Best Festival award for three consecutive years, from 2015 to 2017.
Many thanks to Governor Faustino G. Dy III, Vice Governor Antonio T. Albano, and YMV & ASSOCIATES for allowing us to experience this world-class event. Till Next!
Also Read:
- Bambanti Festival 2019 Gears up with ‘Victory of Isabela Spirit’
- Travel Back in Time When You Go to Ilagan Japanese Tunnel
- Kalinga Bags 2 Guinness World Records for Gong Ensemble, Banga Dance
