The Pinya Festival in Calauan is an event that puts the spotlight on the tropical fruit, the pineapple, which the municipality in Laguna produces a lot of.
As is expected from any festival in the country, it’s a celebration with lots of fun and entertainment. The festival allows the people of Calauan to have fun, show their creativity, culture, beauty, and talent. And at the center of it all is the humble pineapple.
The festival, which is celebrated during the first half of May, features cultural presentations, exhibits, performances, street dancing, beauty contests, a float parade, as well as pineapple and native products decor contest, among many others.
The Pinya Festival is held in celebration of the town’s fiesta, the feast of San Isidro Labrador.
First held some 20 years ago (some reports say 1999, others 2003), the Pinya Festival was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s unclear if this year’s celebration would push through, would be delayed, or if it would transition to a digital-only (or even physical-digital hybrid) event like many festivals due to safety and health concerns.
But on a normal year, the Pinya Festival is one cool celebration. There are pineapples left and right (they’re in season during this time), especially from vendors trying to sell the fruits, which are truly sweeter than canned alternatives. Some even claim that pineapples from Calauan are the sweetest ones in the country, though I’m sure other pineapple-producing towns would like to lay claim on that as well.
A much awaited activity during the festival is the culinary contest, a cookfest where the main ingredient is the pineapple. The float parade, with beautiful floats that represent each of the town’s barangay, always draws huge crowds. The same goes for the mardi gras street dancing competition where different schools compete against each other, with students wearing colorful costumes.
A favorite among tourists who go to Calauan for the Pinya Festival is the Trade Fair Exhibit, where the town’s local products, most of them products made from pineapple, are showcased. They include delicacies and pineapple cloth (woven from pinya fibers), among others.
You’ll also find unique products like the “piñatuyo,” which combines the saltiness of “tuyo” (dried fish) with the sweetness of pineapple. There’s also the “piñachampoy,” a sweet delicacy made from pineapple skin; as well as the “piñapie,” which is kind of like the famous buko pie, but with pineapple as filling instead of coconut.
A similar Pinya Festival happens in Ormoc City, Pudtol in Apayao, and Bataraza, Palawan.