"Festival dancers dressed themselves with both luminescence and heat-based light. They have to stand out in the dark—that is the very essence of this artful cultural event."

[VIGAN, ILOCOS SUR, PHILIPPINES] ▬ The Bigueño creativity was released from its old home—naïvity. The clamor of the people to see cultural events in the city is something that is very powerful, then the Raniag Festival is born. Pop culture mixed with local elements was well-received by the Bigueños. The result became so epic my imagination didn't even achieve.

[VIGAN] ▬ RANIAG FESTIVAL'S ELECTRIC FLOAT PARADE

▬ Raniag Twilight Festival and Pop Culture ▬

THIS EVENT IS IN LIGHT OF POP culture's Halloween. When we say Halloween, usually we think of darkness and what's in the dark. We tend to think about ghouls and ghosts, right? In Vigan, although this notion is still present, this has been gradually replaced by the festive colors and the blasting artistry of Raniag Twilight Festival participants and performers.

The street lights were intentionally turned off allowing these electric floats and street performers to take the challenge of becoming stellar in the darkness. The light they produce will determine their fate. The goal is to be the most beautiful piece in the midst of the dark.

[VIGAN] ▬ OH, THAT GOLDEN HEADWEAR

[VIGAN] ▬ THE SPHINX FLOAT

[VIGAN] ▬ UMBRELLA COLLECTION

[VIGAN] ▬ CLEOPATRA-INSPIRED

[VIGAN] ▬ EGYPTIAN-INSPIRED FLOAT

[VIGAN] ▬ PARADE PARTICIPANTS DRESSED SO POP

[VIGAN] ▬ TALL FAIRY-LIKE WHITE FLOAT

[VIGAN] ▬ THE HUGE MASK STOOD OUT

[VIGAN] ▬ INSPIRED BY THE MOVIE 'FROZEN' - HELLO ELSA!

[VIGAN] ▬ THE CLASSIC 'KAMATAYAN' FICTIONAL CHARACTER FOR HALLOWEEN

[VIGAN] ▬ THE WHITE 'KAMATAYAN' UNDER THE MOONLIGHT

[VIGAN] ▬ A GREEN BUTTERFLY, MAYBE?

[VIGAN] ▬ ANOTHER GREEN FICTITIOUS HUMAN CHARACTER

[VIGAN] ▬ THE SUPERHEROES

[VIGAN] ▬ IN FRONT OF THE CITY HALL OF VIGAN

[VIGAN] ▬ THE TALL GREEN ELECTRIC FLOAT

[VIGAN] ▬ THE WALIS TAMBO KING

[VIGAN] ▬ A ZOMBIE CHARACTER RISING FROM THE GRAVE

[VIGAN] ▬ FICTION: JUST RISEN FROM HIS GRAVE

[VIGAN] ▬ THE GREAT GOLDEN GIRL WITH SHIMMERING CROWN

[VIGAN] ▬ SHE HAS AN INTRICATELY-DESIGNED DRESS TOO.

[VIGAN] ▬ ANGEL CHARACTER

[VIGAN] ▬ THE WINGS ARE SO COOL!

[VIGAN] ▬ THIS ONE OPTED TO BECOME FLORAL

[VIGAN] ▬ UH, THE LEFT EYE!

[VIGAN] ▬ HER BLACK GOWN IS ELEGANT THOUGH.

[VIGAN] ▬ THE ANGEL OF RANIAG FESTIVAL

[VIGAN] ▬ LOOK AT THAT GIANT SKIRT! SO FAB!

[VIGAN] ▬ UNDER THE MOONLIGHT

[VIGAN] ▬ A MOONLIT NIGHT

[VIGAN] ▬ BLACK FAIRIES OR WITCHES?

[VIGAN] ▬ SO BLOODY RED! I FIND THIS CREEPY.

[VIGAN] ▬ REMINDING ME OF THE MOVIE SCREAM.

[VIGAN] ▬ EMITTING AN ELEGANT ULTRAVIOLET RADIANCE

[VIGAN] ▬ A GIANT FAIRY

[VIGAN] ▬ THE WHOLE FAIRY PACKAGE

[VIGAN] ▬ SO THEY TRIED TO LOOK SERIOUS.

[VIGAN] ▬ AN ELECTRIC FLOAT MADE OF EGG TRAYS

[VIGAN] ▬ AN ANGEL OF THE EGG TRAYS

[VIGAN] ▬ THAT CROWN IS IMMENSELY BEAUTIFUL!

[VIGAN] ▬ THE SKIRT MUST HAVE BEEN VERY HEAVY.

[VIGAN] ▬ THE WITCH PUMPKIN

[VIGAN] ▬THE WITCH VS THE JOLLIBEE

[VIGAN] ▬ PROBABLY A WHITE LADY

[VIGAN] ▬ I LIKE THE HEADWEAR. THE BEADS ARE GREAT!

[VIGAN] ▬ HEY THERE ELSA!

[VIGAN] ▬ RISING AT FULL MOON

[VIGAN] ▬ THE GRAVE DEFIED

[VIGAN] ▬ PILES OF GRAVES

[VIGAN] ▬ SOME SPECTATORS FROM THE CITY HALL'S HUGE WINDOW

[VIGAN] ▬ AMERICAN INDIAN-INSPIRED (THEIR HEAD AT LEAST, FORGET THE PAIR OF PANTS)

[VIGAN] ▬ PROBABLY AMERICAN INDIANS

[VIGAN] ▬ THE ONE AT RIGHT IS ACTUALLY MY ELEMENTARY CLASSMATE NAMED PEDRO.

[VIGAN] ▬ LEFT: ILOCOS SUR CONGRESSMAN RONALD SINGSON, RIGHT: MAYOR EVA MARIE SINGSON-MEDINA

[VIGAN] ▬ THE PHARAOH HAS REAPPEARED AT LIBERATION BOULEVARD.

[VIGAN] ▬ PASSING IN FRONT OF THE SIMBAAN A BASSIT.

[VIGAN] ▬ THAT KID IS ON THE GAME!

I actually followed the parade route so that I can take photos from different locations. I started taking photos in front of the city hall of Vigan where the floats gathered before the parade.

They started the parade at Quezon Avenue then had a turn at Liberation Boulevard upon reaching the Simbaan-a-Bassit. The last part of the parade route is the Calle Crisologo.

▬ Entering Calle Crisologo ▬

THE COBBLESTONE STREET WAS CROWDED WITH LIGHT-emitting giants, electric floats, a mob of Ilocanos in creative costumes and a piece of American pop culture. This is how I describe the Raniag Electric Float Parade in Calle Crisologo.

The electric floats became more stunning when they entered this historic street because of the good lighting and the old-world ambiance.

[VIGAN] ▬ ENTERING CALLE CRISOLOGO

[VIGAN] ▬ THE PHARAOH FLOAT LOOKS BETTER THIS TIME DUE TO THE BEAUTIFUL ANCESTRAL HOUSES BACKDROP.

[VIGAN] ▬ MARDIGRAS

[VIGAN] ▬ THIS IS MORE THAN A PARADE, IT'S A SHOW!

[VIGAN] ▬ BOOK OF LIFE

[VIGAN] ▬ THE GOLDEN PRISCILLA PARADING ALONG CALLE CRISOLOGO

[VIGAN] ▬ PRISCILLA, CLOSER LOOK

[VIGAN] ▬ THE AMERICAN INDIAN-INSPIRED TROUPE IS BACK!

[VIGAN] ▬ THE EGYPTIAN-INSPIRED FLOAT AND TROUPE IS ALSO HERE TO STAY.

[VIGAN] ▬ STILL, THE EGYPTIAN CONCEPT

[VIGAN] ▬ THE SPHINX FLOAT HAS REACHED CALLE CRISOLOGO.

[VIGAN] ▬ THIS ROBOT IS ROAMING AROUND CALLE CRISOLOGO.

[VIGAN] ▬ BEAUTIFUL STRIPES

[VIGAN] ▬ SOME KINDA OLD-SCHOOL ROCK?

[VIGAN] ▬ RANIAG ELECTRIC FLOAT PARADE IN CALLE CRISOLOGO

[VIGAN] ▬ HELLO FROM RANIAG ELECTRIC FLOAT PARADE 2015!

Above are the 133 photos I took during the 2015 version of the Raniag Festival Electric Float parade.

The streets of Vigan became alive as the electric floats gracefully promenaded the parade route. Festival dancers dressed themselves with both luminescence and heat-based light. They have to stand out in the dark—that is the very essence of this artful cultural event.

It was a mixture of just anything else resulting close to abstractionism yielding an entertaining and beautiful effect. The event was so inanimate, so unnatural. There were floats to spook but some were here to bring laughter. Some are just sarcastic. Some are just creatively beautiful. So far, I consider this event as the highlight and must-watch feature of this festival. ▬ to be continued...

More: Check out the other years I've covered ► | 2015 | |

THINGS/PLACES INCLUDED ON THIS BLOG SERIES

[UP NEXT] ▬ EPISODE 04

► BLOG SERIES: RANIAG TWILIGHT FESTIVAL 2015 COVERAGE

UP NEXT: The Raniag Twilight Festival continues, this time in Mestizo River. So what event happened in that river? Stories will be revealed on Episode 04.

| | Episode 03 | |

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "Festivals." To see more posts from this category, scroll down and look for the "More Posts from this Category Festivals" section below.

[3] All maps I used on this post are the works of Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez published on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2 |