Across the nation, events are being canceled and admission to events being limited due to coronavirus.
Still, Gasparilla Music Festival and Okeechobee IV saw healthy attendance last weekend, and St. Pete's upcoming Reggae Rise Up has no plans of canceling.
PhilFest, on the other hand, is canceling its 25-year anniversary, which was scheduled for the first weekend in April.
The three-day festival is known for hosting a slew of vendors cooking up traditional Filipino plates, live entertainment and competitions like the children’s Tanghalang Pambata Talent Competition, Tawag ng Tanghalan Singing Competition for adults, and the crowning of Ms. and Mrs PhilFest.
The Philippine Cultural Foundation (PCFI) constructed a list of reasons—including the cancelation of a performance by Filipino pop star Iñigo Pascual—for calling it off. Some are outlined below:
- The festival’s main sponsors, ABS/CBN and TFC, have canceled Inigo Pascual’s coming to the festival.
- Out-of-town performers have already cancelled coming to PhilFest.
- If PCFI decides to hold the event, PhilFest may incur low attendance
- PhilFest vendors may lose money due to the low attendance.
- PCFI expenses could be higher than revenue earned after the festival
- Canceling the event this early would give our international vendors coming from the Philippines as well as our local vendors, artists, and other out-of-town performers at least three more weeks to cancel their airline and hotel reservations and hopefully to get corresponding refunds.
The foundation has posted that if the situation "changes for the better" it might consider rescheduling the festival before the end of the year.
Until next year, PhilFest.
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