The International Bazaar returns
AFTER being postponed for the past two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Bazaar returns on Sunday, Nov. 20, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., at Hall A of the World Trade Center in Pasay City. The bazaar will include national booths offering each participating country’s specialties, and local companies selling clothes, gift items, and food.
Comic Mitch Valdes holds show
ACTRESS, singer, and comedian Mitch Valdes will show off her stuff in Mitch You Like Crazy on Nov. 19 at Teatrino in Greenhills, San Juan City. With special participation of the AMP band, the show is directed by Floy Quintos, with musical direction by Mel Villena. Tickets available at TicketWorld (https://premier.ticketworld.com.ph/shows/show.aspx?sh=MITCHYLC22).
Celebrities hold car boot sale
A CAR Boot Sale: Celebrity Edition will be held at the Mayflower Parking Lot of the Greenfield District in Mandaluyong on Nov. 18-20, from 4 p.m. to midnight. This special event is in celebration of the Food Truck Fest’s 1st anniversary and will feature celebrities selling second-hand items, baked goods, frozen food, knick-knacks, and more right from the trunks of their cars. The Food Truck Fest is open from Monday to Thursday from noon until 10 p.m., and Friday to Sunday from noon until midnight. Meanwhile, at the Greenfield District Central Park, the Greenfield Weekend Market is open every Saturday and the Sunset Fair is open every Sunday from 3 p.m. to midnight. Aside from shopping, visitors can take photos inside a bazaar filled with colorful Christmas decorations.
Take a breather at the Palmolive Naturals Positivity Hub
TAKE a much-needed break at The Palmolive Naturals Positivity Hub on Nov. 18-20 at the Market! Market! Activity Center in Taguig City. Visitors can learn about the Palmolive Naturals hair and skin care products that suit them at the Nature Display, then try and experience the products first-hand at the Refresh Studio. Visitors can take selfies at the Buhay na Buhay Reel Area, and write about their troubles and hopes at the Voice Your Positivity area where they can leave those bad vibes in the Negativity drop box. They can also take selfies with Palmolive endorsers — Zephanie Dimaranan and Cassy Legaspi on Day 1, Angelina Cruz and Julia Montes on Day 2, and Jayda Avanzado on Day 3. At the Palmolive Seeds Hope Corner, guests can give a contribution to the coconut tree planting project by Palmolive, in collaboration with HOPE which benefit farmers in General Santos City, Mindanao. Visitors have a chance to take home a Palmolive Naturals Gift Pack.
The 10th QCinema launches this weekend
THE QCINEMA International Film Festival is being held from Nov. 17 to 26. Screenings in theaters will be held at Gateway, Trinoma, Powerplant, Cinema 76, and SM North EDSA. Meanwhile, online screenings will be held in partnership with VivaMax and will run from Nov. 22 to 26. Ticket prices for theatrical screenings are P300 while online tickets are P299. Details about in10City, QCinema’s 10th anniversary presentation, backgrounds on the participating movies, and screening schedules are available at qcinema.ph and updates are posted at its social media accounts — www.facebook.com/QCinemaPH, twitter.com/QCinemaPH, and www.instagram.com/qcinemaph. To register for a festival pass, visit https://qcinema.ph/festival-pass/?fbclid=IwAR3EDPU8RvPczDAapfWp9OBf38eJv59rqYIxba34akSBAS7m0XZ1N3MmrkM.
The Hybrid National Trade Fair (HNTF)
THE DTI-Bureau of Domestic Trade Promotion (DTI-BDTP), in close coordination with the DTI- Regional Operations Group, will once again mount the Hybrid National Trade Fair (HNTF) to be held on Nov. 16 to 20 at Megatrade Halls 1-3, SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City. The HNTF is part of a series of national fairs conducted annually by the BDTP. It will showcase the best products of more than 250 MSMEs in a traditional fair and 200 digital participants on the Lazada’s e-commerce platform. The five-day order-taking, business matching and retail event will focus on green, sustainable and eco-friendly products, MSMEs with new products or new packaging, sustainable or green packaging, vegan and plant-based food products. The fair will also put the spotlight on the Sustainability Pavilion featuring Bamboo, National Arts and Crafts Fair Special Showcase, KAPEtirya (Philippine Coffee Pavilion), RAPID Growth Project Special Setting, Coconut Pavilion by the Philippine Coconut Authority, Green Holiday Special Setting by the Philippine Homestyle and Holiday Décor Association, The Green Station, Hygiene and Sanitation Stations and FlexPHridays. Come and discover new products as well as revive business relationships with old suppliers. Fair hours are from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Register at https://bit.ly/2022HNTFRegistrationForm. For more information on the 2022 Hybrid National Trade Fair and other programs of the DTI-Bureau of Domestic Trade Promotion, please follow their social media accounts on Facebook (DTI.BDTP), Instagram (dti.bdtp), and Twitter (@DTI_BDTP), or email BDTP at bdtp@dti.gov.ph.
Hybrid National Trade Fair kicks off holiday shopping season
THE 2022 Hybrid National Trade Fair kicks off the festive holiday shopping season on November 16-20 at the Megatrade Halls 1-3, SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City. The five-day event is organized by the Department of Trade and Industry – Bureau of Domestic Trade Promotion in partnership with the DTI Regional Operations Group, the Design Center of the Philippines, and the National Bamboo Industry Cluster. Themed “Go Green! Go Local!,” the trade fair features green, sustainable, and eco-friendly products as well as artisanal and heritage crafts. Exhibitors from the country’s 16 regions, and serves as a showcase of indigenous products and raw materials, handcrafted and handwoven products, furniture and home decor made from sustainable materials, unique and eco-friendly packaging materials, as well as health and wellness products. There will also be a selection of fresh produce, processed food and beverages, and native delicacies. The 2022 Hybrid National Trade Fair will be the first physical edition in over two years. There will be a parallel digital National Trade Fair Mall on Lazada at the same time as the physical event. For fair-goers who wish to enjoy the face-to-face shopping experience, the trade fair will have hygiene stations with hand sanitizers at strategic locations. Everyone is still expected to wear a mask at all times and to maintain social distancing.
North Luzon Travel Fair at Megamall
IN A bid to boost tourism, the Department of Tourism (DoT) is staging the first North Luzon Travel Fair from Nov. 18 to 20 at the SMX Convention Center in Clark, Pampanga. With the theme “Weaving Our Way to Recovery,” the North Luzon Travel Fair is a one-stop-shop for industry collaboration, showcasing domestic tourism destinations, products, services, delicacies, gifts and pasalubong items, as well as cultural presentations from the northern side of the Philippines. The three-day event will gather some 100 exhibitors and 30 sellers. Participants range from airlines, health and wellness facilities, hotel and leisure facilities, theme parks and amusement centers, to travel and tour operators and providers, tourism boards, and Kapampangan food concessionaires, among others.
Dulaang UP’s The Reconciliation Dinner
THE STAGE is set for Dulaang UP’s 45th Theatre Season opener, The Reconciliation Dinner, a new one-act play by Floy Quintos and directed by Dexter M. Santos. The play is a dark comedy about friends trying to heal unspoken hurts, suspicions, disbelief about the choices of those they thought they knew well. In light of the 2022 elections, how well do we really know those we hold dear? And how far are we willing to go to overlook the choices they make? The cast is led by Stella Cañete-Mendoza and Frances Makil-Ignacio. They are joined by Randy Medel Villarama, Jojo Cayabyab, Nelsito Gomez, Hariette Mozelle, and Phi Palmos. This is Messrs. Quintos and Santos’ sixth theater collaboration, having worked together on The Kundiman Party, Angry Christ, Ang Huling Lagda ni Apolinario Mabini, Ang Nawalang Kapatid, and Collection. The Reconciliation Dinner runs from Nov. 18 to 20 at the UP Theater Main Hall Stage, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Tickets are available via Ticket2Me (https://ticket2me.net/e/36022). The production will also have a limited video-on-demand release via Ticket2Me. For ticket inquiries e-mail dulaangup.upd@up.edu.ph or message the Facebook page Dulaang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (DUP Official Page).
The Future of Libraries discussed in seminar
INSTITUTO Cervantes de Manila will hold a seminar titled “The Future of Libraries” on Nov. 19 at its center in Intramuros (Calle Real, Plaza San Luis, Intramuros, Manila). It will be composed of a lecture and a round table discussion. The lecture will be from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and the round table discussion will be from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Libraries have always had a respected role in society, being repositories of knowledge that have helped civilizations advance, and where people could enrich their minds and keep themselves entertained without the expectation of shelling out money for everything. Nowadays, however, libraries are faced with many challenges brought about the digitalization of information, the increasing number of diversions for the public, and the difficulties brought about by the pandemic. The seminar speaker is Carme Fenoll, Director of the Culture and Community Area of the library of the Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya. The round table discussion will have representatives from the National Library, the Miguel de Benavidez library of UST, the Ortigas Foundation, and the Aurelio Montinola Jr. library of Alliance Française. This event is open to all and is free of charge. Confirm attendance by sending an e-mail to cenmni@cervantes.es.
Joseph the Dreamer returns for a limited run
TRUMPET’S musical Joseph the Dreamer returns, with performances until Nov. 27 at the Maybank Performing Arts Theater, BGC Arts Center, Taguig. The musical tells the Biblical story of Joseph, who brought the Jews into Egypt. Written by Freddie Santos, the musical is based on Cam Floria’s cantata entitled Dreamer: What Really Happened to Joseph. This production is a re-imagined version directed by Paolo Valenciano, featuring updated musical arrangements by Myke Salomon as well as an updated script. For tickets visit, https://premier.ticketworld.com.ph/shows/show.aspx?sh=JOSEPH22&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=posts&utm_campaign=JTD.
Festival of Lights returns to Ayala Triangle
AFTER running virtual editions of the Festival of Lights to continue the tradition while ensuring safety during the pandemic, the family Christmas tradition is back live and on-site at the Ayala Triangle Gardens (ATG), Makati Ave. corner Ayala Ave. in Makati. The Light Show’s intro video — following the idea of “The Christmas Lights Factory” — suggests that Santa and the elves are working hard to bring the Light Show back. Projected on the canopy façade, the video shows the elves as they prepare the Christmas lights machine to work. The elves pick these up and transport each element from the screen to the trees surrounding ATG. It ends with Santa switching everything on, ready for the Light Show. Director Ohm David and Lighting Designer Sueyen Austero conceptualized this year’s presentation. As Christmas tunes play, visuals will be projected on the trees around ATG, which include indigenous patterns to tell the story of creation, stars, halos, parols, and much more. Accompanying the light show are three holiday medleys: an orchestral rendition headed by the Manila Symphony Orchestra, an upbeat TikTok rendition arranged by Jazz Nicolas and Mikey Amistoso in collaboration with Tris Suguitan, and a soothing chorale rendition by Jazz Nicolas and Mikey Amistoso. The Festival of Lights at Ayala Triangle Gardens runs nightly until Jan. 8. The show plays every hour, from 6 to 10 p.m.
Anytime Fitness offers 20% discount
ANYTIME Fitness offers help getting ready for the upcoming holiday season and beyond with its 11.11 Membership sale. Get a new Anytime Fitness membership at 20% off until Nov. 25. As an added bonus, new members get a fully charged key fob for P2,500 to get quick access to the branch of their choice. The discounted membership is good for one year and the member will have the option to pay for it for one year or monthly. The 11.11 Membership sale can also be availed online via anytimefitness247.ph.