It’s been four months since I came to Baguio, and this is my first New Year’s Eve abroad. As expected, I took a break from studying during this period…so this year, I welcomed the New Year by participating in a countdown at a sky lounge bar in Baguio. In this issue, I will introduce the bar and tell you about Baguio at the end of the year!
The New Year’s holiday is only three days, on the 30th, 31st, and 1st!
First of all, our school is closed for only 3 days at the end of the year, and classes normally start on January 2. And this year it is especially short because of the unlucky coincidence of weekends and holidays. Since we are a private school, this seems to be the case in order to meet the minimum number of class days per term.
Incidentally, there is also an official declaration from the President that January 2 is not a holiday. This may be due to the fake news that circulated during the recent Christmas break that a weekday was hastily declared a national holiday. So, the year-end and New Year holidays are much shorter in the Philippines.
1月2日は祝日ではないと発表。大統領広報室長官はマルコス大統領は1月2日を休日と宣言していないと強調した。年末年始の連休は12月30日、31日、1月1日となる。https://t.co/nkqMRgasdS
— フィリピンのニュースあれこれ (@pharekore) December 30, 2023
Because of this situation, it is difficult to go away during this period. Especially on New Year’s Day, I had heard from teachers that there are few transportation services such as Jeepneys, so I decided to greet New Year’s Eve in Baguio City as a mature person this time.
How to spend New Year’s Eve in the Philippines in general
For local people, vacation periods such as Christmas and New Year’s Eve are generally spent with their families. In cities such as Baguio, the number of people who work in the city temporarily decreases as they return to their hometowns, and the only people who remain in the city are tourists. This situation is probably the reason why there is less transportation.
However, hotels and other service businesses are generally open. As in Japan, except for privately owned restaurants, pharmacies and convenience stores are open even though their hours are shortened, so international students do not have to worry even in an emergency.
In addition, in Filipino culture, it is said that it is good luck to make a loud noise. Therefore, on the 31st, firecrackers can be heard everywhere throughout the day. It is usually surprisingly loud until midnight, so it is better to move to a lively place and enjoy it with a sense of “Oh, they’re doing it, they’re doing it.
新年を前に花火による負傷者が115人に増加。大晦日に8人が爆竹などで負傷しルソン島中部の4歳の少年は違法爆竹により右手の指をすべて失った。花火によるケガ人の6割は違法花火によるものだと保健省は強調。警察に違法販売の取締りを強化するよう求めた。https://t.co/j3SqVSOk5w
— フィリピンのニュースあれこれ (@pharekore) December 31, 2023
By the way, here is some news.
New Year’s Eve Event Information
Fireworks are the loudest sound during the New Year’s Eve and New Year’s holidays. Fireworks events are also planned in Baguio. The location will be an outdoor event space next to Burnham Park in the center of Baguio. Thankfully, the event will be held in a location that can be seen from basically anywhere in the city.
There are many other New Year’s Eve events planned for tourists and international students, and a quick search seems to indicate that many of them are buffets at hotels. However, most of the events are basically held at hotels in the suburbs, a bit far from Baguio City, and we were not sure if we would be able to come back, so we decided to forgo these this time.
Instead, we attended the following events. It was a countdown event held at a bar on the rooftop of Avanao Square, a shopping mall that I often go to.
About Bóveda Sky Lounge
This bar, Bóveda Sky Lounge, just opened on December 15 this year, so there were not so many customers. It is a very reasonable place, as there is no door charge.
The mall itself closes at 8 pm, so you can use the elevator in the underground parking lot to get there instead of the main entrance. The way to get there is a little confusing, so we asked a security guard, who was very polite and guided us to the new establishment.
There are indoor and terrace seats here, and it seems to be able to accommodate about 50 people. As is usually the case in the Philippines, the music is blaring so loud that it is difficult to hear conversations. Normally, I would think twice about it, but for New Year’s Eve countdown, it is just right.
The terrace seats are a little further away from the sound source, so it is still easy to have a conversation. The temperature at that time was just right for a hoodie, so it was no problem to stay long. However, we went without a reservation and were lucky enough to be guided to the terrace seats, but it is highly likely that they are already reserved.
Here is the menu. I think this price is very reasonable including location. Since we had a Muslim friend with us at the time, we were happy to see that there was a full range of non-alcoholic beverages, but the coffee was still being prepared. The tea was in tea bag form, which was a little disappointing.
New Year’s Eve countdown at the Sky Bar!
We arrived before 10 pm and, as mentioned above, were lucky enough to have a table on the terrace. From there, we waited for New Year’s Eve, eating our guts out and marveling at the “tequila sunrise” in the pitcher.
Incidentally, after this, handheld fireworks/penlights were handed out, which was “nice,” but neither worked well. I was disappointed that the fireworks did not ignite when lit and the penlight’s light was weak, but let’s just buy into the spirit of hospitality they tried to provide.
After waiting and waiting and waiting, the time finally came. At the same time as the new year began, fireworks were going off in the direction of Burnham Park.
As I thought, the rooftop bar is a great place to watch the fireworks from close by. Personally, it was not so crowded, and I felt very comfortable because people were enjoying themselves moderately and moderately.
Summary
This time I reported about New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Eve spent in Baguio, where I studied abroad. Considering the location, the rooftop bar is quite expensive in Japan, but overseas, the price is quite reasonable. We drank and ate there and it cost about 1,600 pesos for the three of us.
By the way, the restrooms are quite clean as they were just built.
Also, we walked back to our dormitory after New Year’s and it was peaceful and we felt no threat. Once again, I feel Baguio is a very safe city. However, you must not let your guard down. When you use this service, please remember that you are only in a foreign country and enjoy yourself with moderation.