Tapasayaw Festival 2019

The Tapasayaw Festival 2019 of Bais City was an event filled with merry-making, happy shouts, and bursting colors. As part of the traditional thanksgiving to San Nicolas de Tolentino (Bais City’s patron saint), the Tapasayaw Festival street dancing and showdown was made!

The term Tapasayaw came from two Visayan dialect words tapas (sugarcane) and Sayaw (dance). Being one of the main producers of sugarcane in the province, Bais City celebrates the literal Sugarcane Dance Festival or the Tapasayaw Festival. Colors of red, orange, green, purple and yellow flooded the streets. Beautiful floats and arcs inspired with sugarcane were paraded on the street as well.

The street dancing of the festival started past one o’clock in the blazing hot Friday afternoon in Bais. Despite the heat, everyone gathered to witness the seven groups perform their dance. After the parade, they all gathered at the covered gymnasium of Bais City for the showdown! Hundreds and hundreds of people came to see the showdown. The venue was filled by an ocean of people. If you missed the festivity, watch the video below!

Watch the Tapasayaw Festival 2019 Video here: