Events, happenings

Just in time for summer, Kultura’s Filipino Design Studio showcases tropical-inspired finds in a setting of earthy neutrals and natural materials that conjure up idyllic Philippine getaways. This pops up at SM Aura Premier until April 2 after its successful debut at Kultura at The Podium in September last year. Envisioned as a space of inspiration and community, the Filipino Design Studio aims to highlight and support exceptional local talent. Here, we endeavor to bring you a specially curated roster of guest brands alongside Kultura’s house brands. Discover beautifully crafted local finds in fashion, beauty, home, personal care, modern Filipiniana, and pasalubong-worthy goods, all in one dreamy space. Kultura’s Filipino Design Studio gives you all the reasons to love local.

Have fun in the sun with uniquely Filipino fashion finds: Gwapitos’ island life inspired looks from Siargao, the country’s surfing capital; Nino Franco’s effortless blend on modern fashion with traditional ethnic hand embroidery from the T’boli tribe of Mindanao; Matthew and Melka’s fun, fresh accessories featuring the colors of local flora and fauna; Anmari & Co’s handmade bags made from buntal, raffia, rattan and tikog sourced all over the country.

Many of the Design Studio items support communities: Eva Marie’s vibrant, handwoven accessories and home décor are made from tikog grass by the women of Samar; 11 th Earth Home Décor’s earth friendly collection using upcycled materials are crafted by indigent communities in the provinces; Luid Lokal celebrates the natural beauty and texture of wooden ware handmade by communities in Pampanga; Rurungan sa Tubod Foundation. caftans and wraps are made with fabrics handwoven on traditional looms by women from fishing and farming villages in Puerto Princesa. Visit Kultura’s Filipino Design Studio: Summer Pop-Up located the 3rd Level Atrium (across the Kultura store) SM Aura Premier, Bonifacio Global City.

Alabang Town Center is closing the summer season with its most exciting mall-wide sale of the year! ATC is painting the Town red with 10-days of huge discounts up to 70% in over 100 stores for enthusiastic shoppers and up to P100,000.00 worth of daily prizes to be given away for the duration of the sale! 

Apart from the sale, on August 28 and 29, the San Beda College of Alabang will be celebrating its 50th anniversary and homecoming at the Activity Center. Open to the public, everyone is invited to view their milestones exhibit and watch the live performances featuring San Beda’s very own Sandwich, Top Suzara and other homegrown talents. 

So shop ‘til you drop at Paint the Town Red Sale happening at Alabang Town Center or online via the Zing app and enjoy huge discounts on your favorite things!

Hong Kong will ring in the New Year with a dazzling light art extravaganza, featuring radiant lights along the entire Victoria Harbour waterfront, the city’s flagship Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, and the New Year countdown lights on the recently opened M+. Starting on New Year’s Eve, the 65.8-metre-tall LED facade of M+, Asia’s first global museum of contemporary visual culture, will showcase a sweeping, high-contrast visual tale created by talented local digital artists as a homage to the city’s various landmarks, neighborhoods, and vibrant arts and culture scene. It will be transformed into a countdown clock, which will travel across the rich cityscape of Hong Kong during the final minute of 2021, before eventually splashing the numerals “2022” and New Year’s greetings across its screen as the clock strikes midnight.

Beneath the bright lights of the prominent skyscrapers ringing in the New Year along Victoria Harbour, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the city’s flagship orchestra and winner of the Gramophone Orchestra of the Year award in 2019, will perform energetic, jubilant music for a global audience in an outdoor concert in the West Kowloon Cultural District as Hong Kong celebrates the New Year. Live satellite and social media feeds (details on page 3-5) of the spectacular experience will be provided to media organisations worldwide by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB).

The Hong Kong New Year Countdown Celebrations can be viewed live on the HKTB YouTube channel.  For more information about the Hong Kong New Year Countdown Celebrations, visit https://www.discoverhongkong.com/countdown.

Department store chain Metro announces its nationwide Sidewalk Sale until September 19, happening in all of the brand's stores as well as e-commerce platform, Shop.themetrostores.ph.

Taking inspiration from "bangketa" shopping experience, the sale offers great bargains of up to 70% off in its supermarket and department store, as well as deals like bundle buys, gift with purchase, buy 1 take 1 and 2x reward points via its rewards card.

Cookware, appliances, furniture, storage solutions and pantry essentials will be available off-for-grabs, so families can now enjoy whipping up a new recipe for the holidays.

The go-getter,  trailblazer attitude takes center stage in the new Mountain Dew campaign, starring none other than James Reid, where he can be seen going his own way as he races on ATVs with a few friends. 

To encourage people to go after their dreams, James’ advice is to first find what you love: “A good starting point would be with something you know you love, then let your fears be a guide for what you must work on… Nothing is more empowering than overcoming your doubts and working on your passion.”

Empowering everyone to unlock their inner trailblazers, Mountain Dew is giving Filipinos a shot under the spotlight by remaking James’ commercial filled with astig moments and posting it on social media with the hashtag #DewRealTrailblazer, and five “Dewds” with the highest number of likes will be given thrilling prizes from the refreshment brand, plus a chance to be featured in their next commercial. 
 

In partnership with Christian radio station Radio Veritas, Nattural Quality Corporation (NQC), the Filipino herbal supplement company behind Ampalaya Plus, invites one to dance for a cause on TikTok through the online dance craze “AMP UP Dance Challenge" (ampup.ampalayaplus.com), which aims to promote holistic well-being while providing students with educational tools during this challenging era of alternative learning.

Apart from featuring a special jingle that carries the message “health is wealth,” which aims to inspire the whole family to take control of their health beginning with proper diet and regular exercise, the dance challenge doubles as social advocacy that helps students receive educational tools for their blended education needs in this time of a pandemic.

Championed by celebrity ambassadors RJ Agustin, Kristof Garcia and Sisi Rondina, the challenge welcomes all students and family members to upload a video on their Tiktok public account performing the official AMP UP dance steps for a chance to win an educational tablet for their own use or for donation to a beneficiary of their choice.

Today, online learning has become the norm; home is the new school and video conferences are the new classroom. With its commitment to nourishing champion ambitions in sports and in life, Milo is set to hold the Home Court Huddle, an insightful and helpful parenting webinar to talk about the “Holistic Health of Kids sa ‘New Normal’," tackling how today’s young champions can be physically, mentally, and emotionally well, even at home.

Home Court Huddle gathers a distinguished panel of sports experts and seasoned parents to lead a discussion on the importance of staying active and healthy while at home, and how sports affects a child’s overall wellness and character formation. The event will be hosted on Milo Philippines’ official Facebook page (@milo.ph) and streamed Live on September 6, Sunday, starting at 7 p.m.: https://bit.ly/MILOHomeCourtHuddle-FacebookLive.

Join celebrity mom and TV host Suzi Entrata-Abrera as she facilitates the conversation with SEA Games Gold Medalist and dad of two Japoy Lizardo and UP College of Human Kinetics – Department of Sports Science Asst. Professor and Sports Psychology Consultant Mona Adviento-Maghanoy, MAPsych. Learn about practical tips and advice on caring for your child’s holistic health through their informative talks and inspiring testimonials. Parents can also be a part of the conversation by sending in questions and queries in the comments section during the program.

Watch Lazada’s Mid-Year Countdown Show on July 14, from 9 p.m. to midnight on LazLive at the Lazada App. Join hosts Mimiyuuuh and Sam YG, with special participation of Nadine Lustre, for Lazada’s Mid-Year Countdown Show. Get ready to enjoy exclusive deals and promos, and catch performances from Iñigo Pascual, Up Dharma Down, Julie Ann San Jose, Angeline Quinto, Jona and MNL48.

Starting from midnight of July 15, the site's biggest one-day Mid-Year Bounce Back Sale is on to offer free shipping with no minimum spend with a wide array of discounts from local brands on board.

Advocacy queens Pia Wurtzbach and Catriona Gray will be leading side by side the first-ever online concert ceremony of the Philippine International AIDS Candlelight Memorial (IACM) on Sunday, May 17, at 4 p.m. Dubbed as "Light Up," the online concert ceremony has two parts: Commemoration and Celebration. UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador for Asia and the Pacific and Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach will head the Light Up's commemoration part alongside community movers, government officials, and private institutions. One of the highlights of the commemorative event is a ceremonial candle lighting to be led by Miss Universe - Philippines 2019 Gazini Ganados.

Staunch HIV advocate, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, will top bill Light Up's celebration part, showcasing a free online concert. Performing at the show are exceptional Filipino artists: Katrina Velarde, Nina, 4th Impact, Jed Madela, The Company, Ice Seguerra, Zeus Collins, Anna Ramsey, Phi Palmos, Adrian Lindayag, Addlib Divas, Nicole Asensio, Arman Ferrer, Globe Voices@Work, and drag queen performers, and with special participation from Lea Salonga, Morissette Amon, Jed Madela, Radha and many more. Hosted by Tim Yap and Patrixia Santos, the Philippine IACM online concert ceremony will be live on Facebook at bit.ly/LightUpPH2020. 

Related: COVID-19 lockdowns could spark rise in HIV infections, experts warn

Eraserheads mini-reunion, 6Cyclemind & other OPM bands come together for Smart Music Live Online Sessions. The Facebook live streaming concert will banner OPM bands like 6Cyclemind and a mini Eraserheads reunion in Ultra Combo, composed of Pinoy rock icons Raymund Marasigan and Buddy Zabala. To make it more fun and interactive, fans can now have a chance to join in these calls and “hang out” with their favorite bands.

Check out Smart Communications official Facebook page for updates. The FB concert schedule: 6Cyclemind on May 4 and Ultra Combo featuring Raymund Marasigan and Buddy Zabala on May 11.

You can also do your part and donate with a simple text message. Together with the PLDT-Smart Foundation and Smart, you can help frontliners and communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Simply text DONATE<Amount> to 3456. Your donation can help send out aid to the families of frontline health workers, checkpoint officers, emergency response teams, and communities in need during the quarantine period. The Text-to-Donate platform accepts donations until July 16.

The COVID-19 outbreak is giving us a glimpse [into the future] that there will be no quick return to how things were, and that social distancing could be an extended new norm even after the quarantine. This could potentially change the way we interact, and the way we consume entertainment.

That said, one of the biggest challenges that international rum brand Don Papa is currently trying to solve is how it can continue to support its community amid this pandemic that has crippled the creative scene. Don Papa has established its reputation as a culture purveyor by connecting artists and musicians to different communities around the globe through its unique experiential events that have served as platforms for self-expression. But with the global shutdown that has forced everyone into isolation, Don Papa had to drastically change its consumer experience by converting its annual Sugarlandia event into something virtual. 

Don Papa has already started spicing up the month of April with a musical experience that virtually takes you from your couch to a hip club with beats from DJ Looka Barbi of Ibiza, Spain, joined by other multitalented artists from the Philippines. Hitting the virtual stage this Sunday, April 26 at 8:30 p.m. is Manila's multi-genre collective group Terno which is comprised of five insanely talented bands, with UDD (formerly Up Dharma Down) as the headliner. The Sugarlandia Sessions also serves as a fundraiser. Viewers who are looking to donate can choose which COVID-19 relief efforts they wish to support through https://linktr.ee/SugarlandiaSessions. 

Hollywood star with Pinoy blood Hailee Steinfeld will be live in the Philippines next week to meet her Filipino fans online. Catch her on MCA Music's Instagram page and watch her other surprise interviews.

????@HaileeSteinfeld will be???????????????????? in the Philippines next week to meet her beautiful Filipino fans online. Catch her on our IG page and her other surprise interviews. ????#HaileeLIVEinPH
+ Get a special invite on the exclusive virtual M&G with her here: https://t.co/wkY3Nft2xh pic.twitter.com/G2n61R45wV

— MCA Music Inc. (@mca_music) April 17, 2020

In light of the COVID-19 situation, Miss Universe 2019 Zozibini Tunzi and Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst will be going live on the official Miss Universe Instagram page on April 13, Monday, 11 p.m. to hold a virtual card making activity for Smile Train patients.

This initiative aims to help spread smiles and raise awareness for cleft patients around the world. Even during a pandemic, every three minutes, a baby is born with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate.  Smile Train assures cleft patients and their families that their partner hospitals will be ready to serve them as soon as it is possible.  Smile Train, the world’s leading cleft organization provides free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care for millions of patients in over 90 countries. In the Philippines, Smile Train has helped over 60,000 cleft patients since 2001.    

Interested individuals may also participate in the activity and send their cards to the Smile Train Philippines headquarters at 3/F Annex Building, 22 East Avenue, Diliman Quezon City. Since 2016, the Miss Universe Organization and Smile Train, have been involved in a charitable partnership to help raise awareness of the issues faced by children living with untreated clefts in the developing world.

Art in the Park has postponed its annual exhibition due to COVID-19. In a statement sent to Philstar.com, the event's organizers said: "Mindful of our collective responsibility to help contain the spread of COVID-19, the organizers of Art in the Park and the Museum Foundation of the Philippines have decided to postpone the event scheduled for Sunday, March 15.

We were looking forward with anticipation to another successful edition of Art in the Park. However, in consideration of the recent advisories by both the World Health Organization and the Department of Health, we feel that pushing through with the event would be irresponsible.

We deeply appreciate the support that our participants, visitors, and partners have expressed throughout the planning process for this year’s Art in the Park. Our thoughts are with those who have been affected by the coronavirus globally, and we fervently hope that this crisis will be overcome soon. We hope to reschedule Art in the Park to later this year."

Produced by Repertory Philippines' Theater for Young Audiences, the original Filipino musical "The Quest for the Adarna" runs until January 26 in Onstage Theater, Greenbelt 1, Makati City. The play takes place in the peaceable and prosperous kingdom of Berbania, which is ruled by the beloved King Fernando and his equally loved wife, Queen Valeriana. They are blessed with three sons–all mighty warriors. The eldest and heir to the throne is the pompous Prince Pedro; the second son is the dashing Prince Diego; and, the youngest, the kind-hearted Prince Juan.

An enduring epic that remains one of our great cultural treasures, the "Ibong Adarna" story is reborn as an entertaining play with original music. Suitable for children of all ages, "The Quest for the Adarna" is an original RTYA Production under Creative Director Joy Virata, assisted by co-directors Jamie Wilson and Naths Everett, with music by Rony Fortich and book and lyrics by Luna Griño-Inocian. Tickets are available via Repertory Philippines and Ticket World.

The Philippines' first advanced Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Skills Lab opened last December 6, the Philippine Heart Center announces.

The project, which will serve as skills and training center, was done in partnership with the Children's Heart Foundation and B. Braun Medical Supplies. It will be equipped to provide skills simulation, proctorship and observation, as well as live surgery.

Through the project, the Philippine Heart Center hopes to address long waiting lists and recovery periods of patients, long operation times for surgeons and long turnaround time of the health care process and surgery. (Handout photo)

Irish rock band U2 have arrived in Manila for the Philippine leg of the Joshua Tree Tour 2019.

They will perform at the Philippine Arena in Santa Maria, Bulacan on December 11. 

And they have arrived!!! Bono, Edge, Adam and Larry, members of Irish rock band U2, just landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) #U2 #JoshuaTreeTour2019 pic.twitter.com/rQVRcNutXB

— Iris Gonzales (@eyesgonzales) December 9, 2019

The Manila Cathedral in Intramuros is lit in red to mark "Red Wednesday."

CBCP News, the media outlet of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, notes that the event is part of Aid to the Church in Need’s campaign in solidarity with persecuted Christians around the world.

Catch one of the biggest food and lifestyle events of the year as TLC Festival goes live on Saturday, November 16, in Bonifacio High Street. Returning with its engaging food and lifestyle activities plus musical performances from beloved Filipino artists, TLC Festival features guest celebrities and personalities Janet Hsieh, host of TLC’s "Fun Taiwan," and Rikki-An Quiapon, esports shoutcaster, as they roam the festival grouds to enjoy the music, food, and art. Tune in as Angie King, car racer and businesswoman, and Pam Pastor, writer and mental health advocate, share their own stories during the festival. Don’t miss hosts from TLC and Asian Food Channel Sarah Huang Benjamin, Anton Amoncio, Matthias Rhoads, and May Yacoubi as they exhibit their prowess in the kitchen with exciting cooking demos.

Participate in various activities planned at this year’s Festival such as live basic culinary technique and food styling lessons at C1 park and live creative arts and crafts activities at One Bonifacio High. Be part of the I AM TLC campaign by defining your own labels and sharing it to the rest of the world at the I AM TLC mural. Rock out with funk rock band IV of Spades and rock icon Rico Blanco as they round off the night at the main stage. Admission is free!

Carly Rae Jepsen has arrived in Manila, promoter Wilbros Live announces on its Twitter account.

Welcome Back @CarlyRaeJepsen ???????? Excited for The Dedicated Tour tomorrow at the New Frontier Theater!! #WelcomeBackCarlyRaeJepsen #CarlyRaeJepsenManila2019 pic.twitter.com/9JYIgTTph1

— Wilbros Live (@WilbrosLive) October 22, 2019

She performs on Wednesday night at the New Frontier Theater in Quezon City for The Dedicated Tour.

Authors, illustrators, publishers and other book industry professionals will be participating in the Children's Book Summit tomorrow, July 17, 2019, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Thames International Business School in Quezon City.

The National Book Development Board announces that talks on understanding Generation Z, how to get published, the balance between storytelling and story showing and how to plan, write and pitch a book series, among other sessions, willl be staged at the summit. Walk ins are welcome. (Photo by Annie Spratt via Unsplash)

Drum and dance ensemble Drum Tao from Japan is set to perform from September 5 to 8 for the first time at the Theater at Solaire.

With a show titled "Rhythm of Tribe, Time Travel Chronicles," the group is expected to combine martial arts, innovative choreography and contemporary production that is truly Japanese. Costumes are by Paris-based designer Junko Koshino.

Newsweek praised the group has "not only Japanese entertainment but Japan itself." Drum Tao has been known for their extraordinary precision in their beats, melody and rhythm as well as nearly superhuman movements.

A thread of events around Metro Manila happening within the last two quarters of 2019.