Passionfest and the Symphony of Lights: A weekend at the Fort

Once a historic military base, Fort Bonifacio is now a sprawling business district where arts and architecture flourish and runners roam. The place has long promoted itself as a place for lovers of the arts—and other things—to celebrate their passions, and the campaign has culminated in Bonifacio Global City's first Passionfest over the weekend before Bonifacio Day. Late on Friday afternoon, a flash mob danced along to a medley of contemporary pop hits to launch the event. Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation head of commercial operations Manny Blas II then reminded the gathered crowd of the BGC marketing campaign branding the area the “home of passionate minds” and added, “Conceiving this celebration turned out to be a breeze.” He called the weekend “a delightful [time] full of the things that make us enjoy life.” The Bonifacio High Street strip mall that Saturday also had games for children and pets. Treats like cotton candy and popcorn were given to visitors, and the new BHS South amphitheater offered free film screenings. Later, the band Wolfgang launched a roving concert that took place all that evening long. The band, which will be celebrating its 20th anniversary with a concert on November 28, moved its concert to the Mind Museum, then the BGC Turf, and then the Fort. Other performers included Jun Lopito with the Brass Munkeys, Razorback, Skarlet, and silverfilter. Silverfilter (Cyril Sorongon) also produced the Techy Romantics' new album, and the group joined other local and foreign acts at Bigfish Productions' Exceptional Music Festival held in the evening of the next day. The event culminated with a fireworks display as Saturday turned to Sunday. That night was also the occasion for the opening of Mo_Space gallery's latest exhibition. The conceptual artist Roberto Chabet, whose work inspired most of the present crop of contemporary Philippine artists, launched his new installation, “Toward One Thousand and One Isthmuses.” Curator/artist Ringo Bunoan also launched an installation in the gallery's Project Room, “In Advance of the Things We Cannot See,” notable for its use of scent as an artistic element. The exhibits will continue until the end of the year. Meanwhile, right next to the music festival, the Arts in the City compound (formerly a restaurant franchise) played host to a festival of a different sort. The Spindependence Festival was an event gathering practitioners of what are called the “flow arts,” including poi, hula, and fire performers. Visitors and friends gathered to witness performances from some of the members of the flow arts community. The Escola Brasiliera Capoiera, a local group of practitioners of the Brazilian dance/martial art, gave a lively demonstration, and the Afro-Cuban percussion ensemble Brigada accompanied fire dancers in a midnight performance. The organizers of the festival announced that this festival will be the lead-up to a much bigger event in February of next year. Sunday's events included the annual Run BGC fun run, reminding one of the area's main claims to fame as Metro Manila's preferred site for marathons and runs. Tanghalang Pilipino and Ballet Philippines (which calls Arts in the City its home in the BGC area) performed along with the winners of an office choir competition. The evening was capped with the launch of the area's annual Christmas lights display, the Symphony of Lights, which also involved the area's construction crane towers—those ubiquitous signs of Bonifacio Global City's continuing development and success.  — BM, GMA News