Baguio breathes Christmas: Lights, lanterns, and a city alive

BAGUIO, Philippines – The first night of December always hits differently in Baguio, but this year, it felt like the city took one deep breath and exhaled pure Christmas magic. 

Before sunset, people began lining Session Road. By 4:30 pm, the Baguio police estimated the crowd at 30,000, including the hundreds set to join the Saint Louis University Lantern Parade.

It was not chaos. Rather, it was community – the very Baguio way of filling every curb, step, and ledge with anticipation.

HIGH ENERGY. A bright blue dragon snakes through the crowd, its fiery tail and crashing waves bringing the parade’s energy to a roaring high. Mia Magdalena Fokno/Rappler

When the lights flickered on, the crowd’s collective gasp said it all. The Upper Session Road Christmas tree was towering and seemed alive. Built largely from bamboo and softened with layers of Peruvian ferns, red and Chinese poinsettias, lemon pine, and vincas as ground cover, it felt like a tribute to Baguio’s plantitas (people who love plants and gardening) and every green thumb who has ever whispered, “Kaya ko ’yan alagaan (I can grow that).”

The city government decided this year’s decorations should be organic, indigenous, and kinder to the environment, producing less waste after the season and more beauty rooted in nature. Even the Botanical Garden followed suit with local flowers and natural elements.

Credit goes to the artists and craftsmen like Resty Lopez, Joey Quinio, Reydon Amking, and James Calicdan whose hands shaped the tree into something that looks grown, not built.

CREATIVITY. Giant fish and glowing lotus lanterns swirl down Session Road, filling the night with color, rhythm, and pure SLU creativity. Mia Magdalena Fokno/Rappler

The program opened with the familiar sound of the UB Rondalla, instantly setting a homegrown celebratory tone. UB Voices and Graces soon lifted the mood higher with doxology, hymns, and carols.

The city’s leaders offered messages rooted in gratitude, unity, and the meaning of light. Mayor Benjamin Magalong’s words echoed through the crowd: “Ang tunay na Pasko ay hindi nasusukat sa garbo o dami ng dekorasyon. Nasusukat ito sa kabutihan ng puso – sa ating pagpapatawad, pag-unawa, at sa liwanag na kaya nating ibahagi sa isa’t isa.”

(Christmas is not measured by grandeur or the number of decorations. It is measured by the goodness of the heart, by our forgiveness, understanding, and the light we can share with one another.)

Then, in a 10-second countdown and a roar from the crowd, Baguio lit up.

COLORS. Baguio’s Christmas tree glows in full color as fireworks burst overhead and the SLU Lantern Parade rolls in — one spectacular moment where light, culture, and community all came together on Session Road. Mia Magdalena Fokno/Rappler

The tree burst into color, and fireworks from SM City Baguio drenched the sky in gold and ember, reflecting off dramatic December clouds that seemed as ready for the season as everyone else. The weather wasn’t perfect, but the night was.

Immediately after the fireworks, the crowd turned to the 17th Saint Louis University Lantern Parade, a tradition that draws thousands each year. Silk lanterns swayed, glowing floats rolled past, students danced in coordinated costumes, and thousands of phones captured every passing light. Color, culture, and creativity swept through Session Road.

This year, the parade became a world tour of light festivals, each represented in artistic displays by an SLU school. Lanterns inspired by Germany and the Netherlands glowed in the evening breeze. Vietnam’s Hội An Lantern Festival was also recreated, while Myanmar’s Tazaungdaing Festival of Lights appeared in crafted lanterns and floats. 

Australia’s Moon Lantern Trail shimmered alongside Thailand’s Yi Peng Festival. Lanterns evoking South Korea’s Seoul Festival and Japan’s Nagasaki Festival floated past. The parade also showed vibrant representations of India’s Diwali.

When the parade ended, Session Road still hummed with laughter and conversation. The glow of the evening lingered, the kind of warmth you carry home after a perfect night. Walking back toward Cathedral Loop, it felt as if December had officially arrived.

The Christmas tree was greener than ever. The city was bathed in lights. The parade had “crisscrossed” continents, bringing distant cultures into Baguio’s streets. And the community had shown up once again for moments that truly matter. – Rappler.com