I have never witnessed Dumaguete as busy as it's been yesterday and today. A lot of traffic and lots of roads in the downtown area closed or made one way only. It took me over half an hour to get to Casablanca yesterday around lunchtime rather than the usual 10 minutes. For those planning on visiting the festival: I would probably prefer to go on a weekday, not tomorrow. Park somewhere other than downtown and take a trike for the last bit.
I was there Saturday about 6 pm to 10 pm and, yes, it was packed like sardines. We parked about a 5 minute walk away (Silliman Avenue, west of the main highway). Even as we were leaving Freedom Park, people were still streaming in. It is an amazing spectacle of culture and creativity and well worth a visit (the 'booths' created by each town/city are incredible) - however, I cannot help but think how much good the money spent would have done for those who starve daily. But I guess the starving had an enjoyable time there. And, as a polite foreigner, I often stood aside to allow people to pass - the number of thanks I received in the whole evening was zero!
