BANGUS FESTIVAL
The Bangus Festival is an annual celebration in the city of Dagupan. It highlights the city’s rich milk fish aquaculture industry in the province of Pangasinan and in the country.
The city of Dagupan is an independent component city created by virtue of Republic Act No 170 signed by President Manuel Roxas on June 20, 1947.
The city’s name was derived from the local dialect word “pandaragupan” meaning a gathering since the city has been for centuries the regional market center in particular the Ilocos Region or Region 1.
Dagupan City is in north of Manila and are serviced by bus companies such as Victory Liner, Dagupan Bus and the Five Star with a travel time of approximately four (4) hours.
On the 3rd of May 2003, the populace of Dagupan City created an event as part of the Bangus Festival, the longest grilled “bangus” street party measuring 1,007.56 meters (3,305.6 feet). It broke Canchia’s, Peru 613 meters (2.011 feet long record set in November 1999. Hence, the city gained the Guinness World Record of the longest barbecued grill worldwide.
Alongside, cooking experts participated in the cooking festival of the milk fish dishes such as sinigang, kilawen, daing and the local favorite pigar-pigar to delight the taste of the local crowd as well as tourists. Through this competition the “100 Ways to Cook Bangus” was reared, too.
To this day, a variety of restaurants serve the dishes in the area of Bonuan – Tondaligan district fronting the beach of Lingayen Gulf. The succulent taste of the milk fish in the city is due to the fact that it is raised in fish pen within the salty water of Lingayen Gulf.
The milk fish (scientific name is Chano chanos) is of symmetrical streamlined appearance, and a sizeable forked caudal fin generally feeding on algae and invertebrates due to its absence of teeth. The usual size in length ready for the market is fourteen (14) inches.
The Bangus Festival has been one of the most awaited celebrations in the province of Pangasinan as it is the melting pot of Northern Philippines.