Timpupo Fruit Festival in Kidapawan City: A celebration of Culture, Harvest and Fruits
Kidapawan City is the capital of North Cotabato. Within the 17 town in the City that produces the finest mangosteens, durian and lanzones, Kidapawan City, is hailed as the City of Fruits and annually celebrates the Timpupo Festival during the month of August.
IMAGE Kidapawan City Tourism and Investment Promotions Center Facebook page
Among the Visayans and indigenous highland tribes of North Cotabato, timpupo is a generic term for “harvest”. The Timpupo Festival was first hailed its name back in 2005 by the City Council but was originally first celebrated in 2001. When the local fruit industry suffered scarcity due to diseases and harsh weather conditions back in 2006, the festival was moved to October.
Nearby towns in Kidapawan located below Mt. Apo like Makilala and Magpet, are the home of durian, lanzones, mangosteen, rambutan and a banana plantation. The area below the mountain is fitting for growing fruits for its rich volcanic soil and chill weather.
The festival starts off with a Fruit Float Parade, one of the most anticipated parts of the celebration. Thousands of people attend the proud capital in Cotabato to witness and to participate in the celebration of the abundant harvest of fruits in the City of Kidapawan.
The Timpupo Fruit Festival features its Fruit Galore wherein attendees are given the chance to eat all the fruits they can consume. Fruits such as durian, mangosteen, banana, rambutan, and lansones are some of the fruits served in the said event. These fruit stands are held at the City Plaza that is three kilometers long.
SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES FOR 2017. This is how the festival schedule normally looks like./IMAGE Kidapawan City Tourism and Investment Promotions Center Facebook page
The celebration of harvest includes dance and film competitions, fruit design making, and cultural presentations. One of the most awaited parts of the celebration is the Search for Timpupo Lakambini wherein women are to compete to win the title of the fairest and most beautiful woman of the City. The celebration also has Miss Fruity Gay, Mount Apo race and Wall Climbing at Agro Trade Fair.
For the locals, there is also a competition themed “Ang Pinaka” fruit contest. This contest gives credit to those who harvested the longest banana or the biggest durian. There is also a contest for the biggest fruit made from paper and also to those who gained the title of the most delicious fruit.
The Mayor of Kidapawan, Mayor Joseph Evangelista says the Timpupo Festival plans to attract potential large-scale fruit buyers in Mindanao and to other parts of the country as well. The City of Kidapawan also intends to institutionalize the said festival and make it well-known in both national and international settings.
This year’s festival will start on August 12, at 8 in the morning at the Kidapawan City Gym.
Written by Philippine Primer Intern Reva Marcelo
