La Trinidad Strawberry Festival
Strawberries have long been associated with Baguio, but as far as locals are concerned, the best strawberries still come from La Trinidad, Benguet. It’s no surprise, then, that a festival honouring their best produce is held in March every year: the Panaspulan Strawberry Festival, more commonly known as the La Trinidad Strawberry Festival.
(Photo courtesy of JJ Landingin via interaksyon.com)
The festival started out in 1981 as a way for former Mayor Hilarion “Abe” Pawid to encourage local farmers to farm strawberries instead of the usual vegetables that Benguet is known for. The town eventually became known as the Strawberry Capital of the Philippines, and have celebrated the Strawberry Festival every year since.
The town’s biggest achievement during the Strawberry Festival is their recognition in the Guiness Book of World Records for baking the World’s Largest Strawberry Shortcake. A staggering 9,622.23-kilo shortcake was made by various bakers back in 2004. The record stands to this day.
Source: vigattintourism.com, Guiness Book of World Records
Photos courtesy of: La Trinidad Strawberry Festival Facebook page
