FILE PHOTO: Dancers clad in mango-inspired costumes participate in the street dancing competition of the Mango Festival in Zambales to celebrate the province’s bountiful mango harvest. (Allan M. Macatuno)
SAN ANTONIO, Zambales — The biggest festival in this province, featuring the world’s sweetest mango, will return on April 21–29 after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., the provincial government and various community organizations have started preparing for at least 16 major events to highlight a nine-day festival.
“We expect more visitors to come to the festival this year because we have activities that would appeal to a wide range of audiences,” Ebdane said in a statement on Wednesday, March 22.
Aside from the parades, drum and lyre performances, street dance competitions, various mango-eating challenges and a series of mango-picking activities targeting visitors will take place on five provinces’ farms.
Other activities include a Parayawan Agri-Tourism Showcase and Trade Fair, the 2023 Binibining Zambales Pageant, a musical concert, among others.
Mangoes in this province, especially the carabao variety called “dinamulag,” remained distinct.
In 1995, the Guinness Book of World Records cited mangoes grown in Zambales as the world’s sweetest.
In 2013, the Department of Agriculture cited Zambales mangoes as the country’s sweetest variety.