Festival of Lights, New Years countdown returning to Makati
MANILA, Philippines — Real estate company Ayala Land Inc. is gearing up for its Christmas celebrations this year in Makati, highlighted by the 15th edition of the crowd-favorite Festival of Lights at the Ayala Triangle Gardens.
The company's Group Head of Marketing and Communications Chrissy Roa said during an exclusive media lunch on November 7 that this year's festivities are marked by two milestones.
The first is the company celebrating its 35th anniversary, and the second was Roa dubbing 2023 as "a year of recovery" because of the pandemic meeting its end and people now being able to "celebrate Christmas the way we used to."
Kicking off the Makati festivities are the lighting of decorations along Ayala Avenue, which has become a common holiday tradition in the city.
This will be the fourth consecutive year that the same parols will be used, although new elements will be added to the recycled decorations.
The most-awaited perhaps of these celebrations are the annual Festival of Lights, now in its 15th year bearing the theme "Christmas Nights with Countless" and three variations of light and sounds performances beginning November 14.
The first portion called Kaleidoscope of Sight, Sound, and Light which is a Filipino medley of local Christmas tracks and songs often heard during the Simbang Gabi.
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Another part are the Big Band Style Classics composed of familiar Christmas carols by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Andy Williams, and the third portion will consist of popular K-pop songs.
A new element for the Festival Lights will be the use of floor projections and lighting, which Roa said was inspired by the Japan-based art collective teamLab.
Complementing these light-based attractions are the Wish Upon A Light where individuals can write their wishes on an interactive light-emitting diode (LED) screen and the "Liter of Light" artwork design by Leeroy New.
Ayala Land in collaboration with the Embassy of France will host for two weekends in December and one in January the Marche se Noel at the Makati Street Market, while on December 9 will be the Choral Competition at Circuit Makati for competing schools around Makati.
The penultimate celebration is the "Come Home to Christmas" holiday concert on December 17, also at Circuit Makati, featuring perfomances by the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra, Bituin Escalante, Arman Ferrer, Lara Maigue, and Steps Dance Studio.
Finally for the first time since 1999 — the year the Festival of Lights debuted — Makati will host the New Year's Eve Countdown at Ayala Avenue.
A number of small countdown events have been held since the turn of 21st century, however this will be the first time in 24 years an official countdown will be stage, aptly to ring in 2024.
The list of performers will be announced at a later date, but a sky show will be expected in partnership with the local government.
