Bambanti Festival

Bambanti is the Ilocano word for scarecrow, and Isabela - the largest rice and corn producer in the country - built its provincial festival around the figure that stands in every field. Each of the province's municipalities constructs bambanti for the competition, some of them several metres tall, made from straw, bamboo, sacking and farm materials, and displays them in a village of booths in Ilagan alongside agricultural produce and local products. There is a street-dancing competition, a float parade, a costume contest in which entrants wear designs built from farm materials, and the usual pageant. It is a straightforward agricultural festival for an agricultural province, held in January, without the religious layer that underlies most Philippine fiestas - it was created in the 1990s by the provincial government to promote Isabela's produce, and it functions exactly as intended.

The main sights

• The giant scarecrows - municipal bambanti in the festival village.
• The produce booths - each town's agricultural display.
• The street dancing - contingents competing through Ilagan.
• The farm-material costumes - the contest built from straw and sacking.

When to go

January - dates shift each year, so confirm with the provincial capitol. The festival village stays up for several days around the main parade.

Practical notes

It is a modern promotional festival rather than an old tradition. Ilagan has limited accommodation and it fills for the week. The Cagayan Valley road from Manila is a long haul.

Nearby

Tumauini Church is nearby in the same province; Tuguegarao and the Callao Caves are north.