Bangusan Street Party (Kalutan ed Dalan) still holds supreme among the street parties in the province of Pangasinan 22 years after it was first held, with this year’s crowd placed at over 500,000.

Over 20,000 pieces of milkfish (bangus), from the original plan of only 12,000 pieces, were grilled by families, friends, and colleagues who gathered and were in a festive mood for the one-night street party amid the high heat index recorded at 49 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.

At sunset, officials set ablaze the grills lined up for the ceremonial lighting that signifies the start of the festivities, while representatives of the winning team in the Gilon Gilon ed Baley (street dancing competition) perform the famous drumbeat “Gilon La!” (let us fish).

Residents and visitors then began to crowd the De Venecia Expressway Extension, where most of the grill sets were sold for PHP3,900. The package included five kilos of fresh bangus and other freebies,

However, some of the visitors were already waiting for the guest bands and artists as early as 1 p.m.

Aside from the grilling of the famous and delicious bangus and the jovial atmosphere, Bangusan Street Party is also known to draw crowds because of the presence and performances of well-known national local bands and artists.

The six stages along the stretch of De Venecia Expressway Extension featured Filipino girl-group BINI, the nine-piece pop band Ben&Ben, rapper Flow-G, rock band Spongecola, and many more.

Dana Rhey Morada, from Sta. Rosa Laguna, told the Philippine News Agency that she went to the street party to see the girl-group BINI and to be with her cousins as well.

She said they enjoyed singing along and dancing with the crowd despite the heat.

Ricky Casipit of Mangaldan town said it was his first time to attend the street party and he was thrilled despite the long walks in between the stages where the artists performed.

In an interview, Mayor Belen Fernandez said they expected more than 500,000 attendees, which was the case last year, but they may have exceeded the number this year.

“People come and go and choose the stage they want before they leave,” she said.

Fernandez said some of the visitors were from Nueva Ecija, Ilocos, Metro Manila, and from all over Pangasinan.

“What we do is that we really wanted to attract outsiders,” she added.

Fernandez said they also plan to add more grills in next year’s street party.

Some attendees fainted during the event because of the high heat index and the large crowd but they were immediately attended by medical personnel assigned to the various first aid stations along the party area.

The festivities ended with a fireworks display that left the audience in awe.

Bangusan Street Party is one of the highlights of the Dagupan Bangus Festival, which was first introduced in 2002 by the late Mayor Benjamin S. Lim.

It placed the city on the map of the world when it earned the Guinness Book of World Record for the Longest Barbecue in 2003 because of the 1,007.56-meter barbecue grill.

Other activities for this year’s festival, which started last April 14 and ends on May 4, are the Barkada Fun Run Batik para ed Kalinisan na Dagupan (run for the cleanliness of Dagupan), bangus rodeo, Bangusine or cookfest, river clean-up drive, mobile legend tournament, and the Gilon Gilon ed Baley street dancing competition.

Economic gains

Fernandez said all the hotels, the markets, and restaurants are full.

“Madamimg kumain, nagstay, namili and nag-enjoy. Party talaga (A lot of people ate, stayed, shopped, and enjoyed. It was really a party). In one grill they get to enjoy as they bring all their families and friends,” she said.

A manager of a fast-food chain in Malasiqui town, some 34 kilometers away from Dagupan City, said they were also crowded by attendees of the street party.

“We run out of stocks for some of our products. There were really a lot of people who came from the street party,” he said.

Small food businesses also closed early in some of the neighboring towns as their products were sold out.

Bangus supply

Fernandez reiterated that the high heat index being experienced in the city has no significant impact on milkfish production.

“There is no problem with the heat wave as the city is at the river mouth and the fishermen know what to do, how to adapt,” she said.

To date, prices of fresh bangus range between PHP140 to PHP150 per kilo from around PHP180-PHP200 during the Holy Week.

Earlier, Fernandez said they have asked the “consignacion” (fish vendors) to source 90 percent of their supply from Dagupan to protect local producers. (PNA)