As soon as the clock struck 4 on April 1, a band of traditional revelers woke up Poblacion neighborhoods in the middle of their dreams with trumpets blaring, as though to herald the movable feasting that was soon to begin.

And indeed, a spectacle of colors, sounds, and movements broke the early-morning stillness, stopping traffic, attracting hordes, enjoining everyone to take part in the gaiety.

It started off with a parade around town which featured the grand floats of the Local Government Unit of Bayambang, the Bayambang Events and Entertainment Management Office (BEEMO), Tourism Office/Bayambang Municipal Council for Culture and the Arts (BMCCA), the different districts of the municipality, Little Mr. and Ms. Balon Bayambang and Binibining Bayambang 2018, and the creative street dancing floats of Hermosa National High School, Beleng NHS, Tococ NHS, Saint Vincent Catholic School of Bayambang, Inc., Bayambang Central School, A.P. Guevara Integrated School, Bayambang NHS, Buayaen CS and Sanlibo/Tanolong NHS. Many of the floats showcased the town’s various prides such as corn, onion, and malangsi (fish).

“Ito ay isang malaking handaan para sa paggunita at pag-respeto sa mga kultura’t tradisyon natin sa bayan ng Bayambang,” Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao said after the parade at the Municipal Plaza where a short program, emceed by Senior Tourism Operations Officer Rafael L. Saygo, was held to formally open the 8-day special events-filled festivities. LGU Bayambang, along with its partner organizations, has a lot in store for Bayambangueños that will surely keep them entertained from April 1 to April 8.

Mayor Quiambao thanked those who are supporting the celebration of the 404th fiesta of the municipality, especially the Department of Education and the BMCCA for their help in making the events possible.

Along with Vice Mayor Raul R. Sabangan, Sangguniang Bayan members, LGU department heads, and Kasama Kita sa Barangay Foundation, Inc. Managing Director Levin N. Uy, Mayor Quiambao announced, “Bilang punong bayan ng Bayambang ay pormal ko nang binubuksan ang selebrasyon ng Pista’y Baley 2018!”

Because the first day of the fiesta coincided with the celebration of Easter Sunday, an Easter Egg Hunt was organized for the kids and kids-at-heart. Thirty individuals who were lucky enough to find the 30 eggs hidden around the Municipal Plaza received cash prize from the LGU and the BEEMO.

HAPPY 404th, BAYAMBANG! And Happy Easter too!

Let the week-long celebrations begin.