Manggahan Festival 2025: Day 1 of Excitement, Food, and Ely Buendia!

Yesterday was May 16th, 2025, and the much-awaited Manggahan Festival is officially kicking off! It's mango season,,, it’s festival season and let me tell you the excitement is real... The festival is being held at the Capitol Grounds this year and trust me the whole town is buzzing with excitement like bees around a mango tree... 🤣

We’ve been planning this for a while and it’s finally here!!! So we decided to take a walk to the festival.. I mean why not? It's just a couple of kilometers and walking under the warm sun seemed like the perfect way to kick off the event...

The Afternoon Walk and Our Little Oopsie
As we started our walk,, you could feel the excitement in the air.. people were out and about,, my neighbors were heading in the same direction, too 😆.. But here’s the thing.. in all our excitement we forgot the most important thing... water 💧. You know, from a 12 peso bottled water, it will now be 30 pesos.. Yup, festival prices... But it was too late to turn back now... We were already on our way, excited to see food stalls and maybe even catch a glimpse of the stage being set up..

Along the way, we noticed some people walking on the "empty" side of the road (which was more like the road nobody really wanted to walk on).. Of course, I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures of the food stalls that were already setting up.. There were so many varieties—grilled food, sweet treats, and even mango-flavored everything (as expected, right?). I could already smell the savory scents, and my stomach started making its own music.

Arrival at Capitol Grounds: A Little Disappointment
When we finally arrived at the Capitol Grounds, we had a moment of excitement... until we saw the stage.. It wasn’t ready yet 😞. Bummer 😒 We were hoping for a grand opening but it was clear they still had some work to do..

The good news? There were a few souvenir and food stands open, so we managed to grab a quick snack.

At least we weren’t totally empty-handed.

There was also a basketball tournament going on, and a kids’ event happening nearby.. But here’s the catch.. I couldn’t get a picture of the kids' event because it was packed like sardines in a can.. And not the fun kind of packed, either.. People were everywhere and it was a bit of a jungle in there.. We decided to roam around and stumbled upon a carnival area..🎡

😟 Sadly, it wasn’t opening until 6 PM, and we didn’t feel like waiting around for two more hours, so we made the decision to head back home and return later when the real action was going down..

The Evening: Round Two!
Fast forward to evening and I’ve just finished my work shift at 9:30 PM. I was in a rush because the band was supposed to start exactly at 9:30, and I wasn’t about to miss Ely Buendia! For those who don’t know, Ely Buendia is like a Filipino music legend.. He’s been rocking the stage since 1994 with different bands and I couldn’t wait to hear him perform live..

We walked back to the Capitol Grounds, which was just about a 2-kilometer trek (nothing too crazy).. As we got closer, we could already hear the music.. And let me tell you, the moment we were near the venue, you could feel the energy in the air.. The band had already started but the crowd was still pretty small in front of the stage..

Snacks and Stage Sights
By the time we got there, we were hungry again.. This time we decided to get ourselves some corn dogs, onion rings, and a refreshing blue lemonade (because, why not? It looked fun and refreshing 😋).. We found a nice spot on the pavement right in front of the stage, on the side, where we could still see everything but were far enough to enjoy our snacks without bumping into people..

The first band up was Carousel Casualties, and let me tell you, they set the mood right.. The crowd was relaxed enjoying their performances, and it felt like a good vibe.. We were munching away on our snacks while grooving to the music..

Main Event: Ely Buendia!
After Carousel Casualties wrapped up the crowd got noticeably more energetic.. People started moving closer to the stage, eager for the main act—the one and only Ely Buendia!! The energy completely shifted, and you could see the excitement in the crowd.. Suddenly, everyone was on their feet, and the place got packed.. It was like the entire town had shown up just for this moment..

Ely Buendia, despite all these years still had that magic touch.. He sang some of his best hits, and the crowd was loving every second of it.. I mean, this guy has been singing since the '90s with bands like Eraserheads, and his songs have left a lasting impact on generations.. His voice? Timeless.. His music? Even more so..

He performed 10 songs.. a full set that had everyone singing along.. It was such an awesome experience.. Even though the crowd was super packed and buzzing with energy you could still feel the excitement and nostalgia in the air.. Ely Buendia was without a doubt, the highlight of the night..

Heading Back Home
By the time the performance ended,, it was already 11:45 PM and we decided to call it a night.. It had been such a fun day,, despite the early disappointment with the festival setup.. The night ended with a bit of sweet nostalgia, a lot of great music, and some amazing food..

As we walked back home,, it felt like a perfect way to cap off a busy, exciting day.. We may have started the day without water, but we ended it with smiles on our faces, a full belly, and a heart full of happy memories from the Manggahan Festival 2025.

What a night! 🎡🍡🎤

Note: I have taken all the photos.
The first pic was edited on Canva for enhancement.