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| A glimpse of the Giant Lantern Festival slated to take place at the Robinsons Starmills compound in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga (Image Source: ClickTheCity.com/Central Luzon Television) |
Robinsons Starmills in San Fernando, Pampanga, the home of the Giant Lanterns for fourteen years, kicked off the holiday cheers last September 10, 2021 with a razzle-dazzle technology in this year's highly anticipated Giant Lantern Festival.
As the Giant Lantern Festival Foundation Inc. provides support to lantern makers by providing trainings and seminars on lantern production to enable the knowledge and skills to be passed on to future generations, Robinsons Starmills empowers lantern makers in the province of Pampanga by providing a venue for them to promote their ingenuity and sell their giant lanterns or 'parols' through the highly anticipated spectacular festival of lights. Dubbed "Sparkling Holiday", drive through a row of massive Christmas lanterns with some reaching up to 20 feet in diameter gleaming with over 10,000 light bulbs. In times of uncertainty, nothing can brighten up the holiday mood more than the traditional giant lanterns all spruced up for Christmas. Experience the spirit of the Yuletide season in the safety of your car as seven featured villages in the city of San Fernando showcase their best 'parol'.
“Sparkling Holiday fits the description of what the giant lanterns are to us — something that sparks excitement and a symbol of hope for the season. The Giant Lanterns will continue to shine and spread the message of hope, love, and peace not just for the lantern makers but to each one of us going through this pandemic,” said Robinsons Starmills Regional Operations Manager Jodie P. Arroyo. Now on its 113th year, the Giant Lantern Festival promises to be a stunning show meant to warm the hearts and delight the souls and is expected to have at least or more than 13,000 visitors. Safety protocols are in place, meaning that vehicles will literally observe social distancing, and QR codes will be assigned to each vehicle for contactless drive-in and parking slots. Pre-registration is required.
The Giant Lantern Festival nightly display at Robinsons Starmills will be on December 16-23 and 25-30, 2021 and on January 1-2, 2022 starting at 6:00 pm. This year's participating villages are Sto. Niño, San Juan, San Nicolas, Sta. Lucia, Bulaon, Telabastagan and Calulut. Online registration for the showcase is on December 16, 2021-January 2, 2022. Last year, Robinsons Starmills decided to continue supporting the community and celebrating the spirit of the season even during these trying times by introducing the drive-in concept last year. Known to the locals as 'ligligan parul', the Giant Lantern Festival started in 1904 and has since continued to demonstrate the ingenuity of Filipino lantern-making. Every year since its inception, the giant lantern makers outdo themselves. All lanterns are manually controlled. There will be music and dancing lights in an incredible network of colors. It is a must-see presentation presented by the talented generations of giant lantern makers in the province of Pampanga.
