La Union Sillag Festival, a fiery celebration of light

Summer brings surfers and beach bums to the cool waves in San Juan, La Union but what not everyone knows is that there is a fiery festival over in the next town.

The Sillag Festival is held annually at Poro Point, formerly Wallace Air Station, in the city of San Fernando. It is organized by the Poro Point Management Corporation, a subsidiary of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.

“Sillag” stemmed from the Ilocano word “sellag”, which translates to moonbeam — the festival is a celebration of light.

Despite having a rocky start, this year’s festivities, which took place April 6-8, boasted of performances from local artists, marching bands and silent drills by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, air shows, fireshows, LED performances, culminating in an impressive pyromusical show.

Attendees were able to go food tripping across numerous booths, participate in ZumBay (Zumba by the Bay), and join fun runs. They were treated with magic shows and entertained by clowns and cosplayers.

The events, held mainly once the sun started to go down, drew in thousands throughout the three days of celebration.

Here are the highlights of the 7th Sillag Festival:

It was a celebration of light indeed. — LA, GMA News