Caracol Festival 2012 Makati City February 26 (The Mardi Gras of Makati)

Caracol Festival 2012 - What You've Missed

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Caracol Festival 2012 - What You've Missed

The Mardi Gras of Makati

It’s a date! February 26 is Caracol Festival. Makati takes its turn on the center stage to host one of the most colorful Mardi gras in the country’s long list of vibrant and colorful street dances and festivals.

But wait. Before you immerse yourself in the revelry, do you know why we are celebrating Caracol Festival?

A Street Party with a Strong Message 

Conceptualized in 1986, CARACOL is a Spanish term for snail and refers to "the shell used by the people to protect them from life's harsh realities and challenges." The first annual parade however was held in 1989. It was declared an official festival of Makati through the passage of Resolution 351. As a local event, it pays homage to three major ethnic festivals of the Philippines. For some reason, this year’s festival will be held on February 26^th. Usually, it’s scheduled mid-January.  

Taking care of Mother Earth is the central theme of Caracol Festival. This is Makati’s own adaptation of the Mardi Gras but with an ethical twist which is to promote the preservation of the Philippine cultural heritage and conservation of the environment. According to then Mayor Jejomar Binay, the event is another great addition in making Makati a tourist destination and promoting the city’s advocacy for the environment. 

It’s a Street Party!

Students from the City’s public schools grace the streets of Makati Central Business district (Makati Ave., Ayala Ave. and Paseo de Roxas) in colorful and sometimes outlandish nature–inspired costumes. The height of the event is when these students compete and out-perform each other through dance numbers sending out their respective messages on appreciating, respecting and protecting nature. What makes the dance-off more exciting is that cash prizes and trophies will be awarded to top performers in each of the three categories (Elementary, High-School and College). 

Makati-based barangays and even, led big hotel names like Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula Manila, Shangri–La, New World Renaissance, Inter–Continental, Dusit Hotel Nikko and Ascott, join in the street dancing frenzy. 

You can get a first glimpse of the dance groups gather up and practice their moves near the Gabriela Silang Monument Car Park on Ayala and Makati Avenue. The stage is the intersection of Ayala Ave. and Paseo de Roxas. 

So what are you waiting for? Bring your camera, bring your festival spirit and express your support for “it’s more Fun in the Philippines campaign”. Visit Ayala Ave Makati on Sunday, February 26 as early as 2pm and take part in Caracol 2012. It’s a date! 

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Visit these Related Links!
Caracol Festival 2012 - What You've Missed
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Ayala Museum Makati

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5 No BS Reasons Why Wedding Cakes by Alex Franco are the Best

5 No BS Reasons Why Wedding Cakes by Alex Franco are the Best

 

When was the last time you attended a wedding that you still remember the wedding cake?  If that cake was just a throw in of the caterer chances are that cake didn’t even make the faintest impression on you. But get this, in our case it’s been 6 years now and those who attended our wedding still remembers what it looked like, how it almost stole the spotlight from us (wink) and how it tasted so good. Imagine a cake was able to do that! Behind that killer of a cake is the husband and wife team of Alex and Rosan Franco. Flashback 2005, my then fiancee Rachel and I were on to our final stretch in our December wedding preparation. I was doing consulting work and meeting wedding vendors was a really a chore for me. So when the subject of cake was brought up, I immediately blurted out that maybe our caterer can provide one. Oh gee golly wow! That comment was a big mistake. I got a good lecture from my fiancee that in a wedding, the cake is the crown jewel of a couple’s wedding feast. The wedding cake, she added, is not just a dessert, but a gesture of thanks from a couple in a sweet (and classy, wink) way. With that, my next query was, where we can find this special cake. My future wife was ready with her answer, Alex Franco! 

The  Creator - The Artist: Up Close
When I got to talk to Alex, with his pad with a printed diagram of a 5 tiered wedding cake, I thought to myself that this guy is not just a pastry chef. He’s an Artist! So when Rachel and I started explaining what we want for our big day and how we’d like to see it, he began sketching on his pad what we have in mind. In just a matter of minutes, like a fashion designer working on fabrics of a wedding gown, he presented to us for the first time our wedding cake. Impressive! That got us really excited. But what made us “manically” excited was that before we parted ways in our meeting, he handed us a cold box. He said it’s something for us to enjoy. Oh wow!  We headed to our favorite coffee shop, ordered coffee, and then unwrapped the sweet surprise. It’s the real deal! We just took home an Alex Franco cake! 

So let me go through the list. Here are the 5 Reasons Why Wedding Cakes my Alex Franco are the Best.

1. The entire cake is edible and that includes all the trimmings around it. We ordered a 5 tier wedding cake and all the layers were served to our guests with some having seconds. I don’t know about you but, we never planned in serving icing covered stryrofoam cakes to anyone.

2. Fondant cake is so over-rated and honestly, it doesn’t taste good at all. Alex Franco’s cake is a heavenly layer of chocolate cake and prune walnut or walnut caramel infused with mango and chocolate mousse fillings. Best of ladies and gentlemen, it’s served cold!
  

3. The cake is just addicting, period. Our wedding day maybe over, but we still called Alex and Rosan Franco for other occasions. I guess once you’ve tasted his creation, there will always be that longing for another slice… and then another…  

4. The cake is a guaranteed star of your wedding reception. Unless you don’t mind sharing the spotlight with a layered creation, your Alex Franco will effortlessly take center stage. If I remembered it right, our cake had its own photo session with our guests =). 

5. Lastly, Alex and Rosan listen to you. They  collaborate with you and build on how you want your cake to look like. Too put it simply, they let you be co-creator of your very own wedding cake.

Six years, one wedding and numerous special occasions after our December reception, I’m still under the spell of Alex and Rosan Franco. I will always have that longing for a slice of their finest cake creations. 

Happy Birthday Rosan! 

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Acknowledgement

Thanks to Rommel Calixto for photographing our Alex Franco Cake for posterity. 

Get in touch with Alex and Rosan Franco! 
Mobile: 9172769003 

http://www.alexfrancocakes.webs.com

http://facebook.com/weddingcakesbyalexfranco

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