Ibon Ebon Festival is a yearly celebration for another year of bountiful harvest. This was first celebrated on Feb. 1 and 2 in 1998.
Students in bird costumes perform on the streets of Candaba in Pampanga in celebration of Ibon-Ebon festival on Friday. Candaba is known for its wetlands frequented by migratory birds from outside the country.
Candaba Ibon Ebon Festival 2012 Lists of Activities:
February 01 (Wednesday) > Harvest fest, (Barangay Salapungan)and Grand dress rehearsal of main street dancers (Poblacion);
February 02 (Thursday) > Trade fair and tiangge, (Poblacion) and Jamming with “Ibon” dancers (Genuino Park).
February 03 (Friday) > Grand Street Dancing Parade
February 04 (Saturday) > 4th Day Grand Street Dancing Parade, (Barangay Bahay Pare)
February 05 (Sunday) > Dragon Boat Race at 8:00 A.M PHT (Pampaga River)
One of the most attended activities are the Ibon-Ebon grand street dancing parade which will start from Poblacion going to Ms. Earth Park in Barangay Mandasig; bird watching, (Dona Simang Wildlife Reserve); river cruise, (Pampanga River); kite flying, (Barangay Mandasig) and concert of Sandwich Band; (East Park in Barangay Bahay Pare) on Feb. 3. Other highlights of the celebration are the street dancing, (Barangay Pulongplazan to Bahay Pare), “itik” (duck) cooking contest, itik race, best itik dressed contest and free concert by SpongeCola (Ms. Earth Park in Barangay Mandasig) on Feb. 5.
The Ibon Ebon Festival 2012 makes the town a favorite destination for tourists, bird lovers, watchers and bird enthusiasts from all over the world. The popular wetlands of Candaba Swamp in Pampanga is known as a sanctuary of at least 14,000 registered migratory birds in the 2010 Asian census, consisting of at least 40 species from different parts of the world. The Candaba Swamp serves as the birds’ home and stop-over point as they migrate from point to point in Asia and other parts of the globe.