On our third day (a Sunday) in the beautiful city of Davao, we had to get up extra early. See, it was Indak-Indak day and everyone was pretty much already up by 5 am. After a quick breakfast at the hotel restaurant, we were off to the streets of Downtown Davao City to witness the Indak-Indak.
For the uninitiated, the Indak-Indak sa Kadalanan is one of the highlights of the whole Kadayawan Festival. The name actually basically means ‘street dancing.’ So what to expect? Lots of dancing, festive drum beats, colorful costumes, and a gazillion spectators who would try to get as close to the dancers as possible.
So, without further ado, here are my photos of the super lively and festive Indak-Indak during the 2016 Kadayawan Festival season in Davao. Enjoy!
Davao City – DAY 3
One thing that I really find interesting about Davao’s Kadayawan is the use of choreography, costumes, and beats that are uniquely Mindanaoan. I admit, I never miss the Mindanaoan dances when I watch cultural presentations at Fuente during the Sinulog season. So, when I saw that the whole parade route was littered with contingents dancing to traditional Mindanao beats, I was just ecstatic!
Another thing that sets the Kadayawan apart is the use of traditional Muslim costumes. They’re so pretty!
Of course, there’s the usual festival get-up that you see in most festivals all over the country.
A props girl smiles for my camera during a short snack break.
These lovely kids are all smiles when I asked to take their photo.
This contingent makes use of traditional Muslim costumes and choreography. And I also really love this shot.
Similar to the Sinulog, contingents perform for the crowd at various points along the parade route.
Davao’s policemen on bicycle patrolling the streets during the parade.
Props men and women slowly walking behind their performing contingent.
A contingent dancing for the crowd along the parade route.
Just several meters away from the main parade route, you will see the adjacent roads and side streets which are kept immaculately clean despite the ongoing parade.
For lunch break, we dropped by the Marco Polo Hotel in the heart of downtown Davao to grab some lunch.
Food was great, as expected. Plus we were served some of Davao’s best-tasting fruits!
After the break, we were off to Plaza Rizal for the grand showdown of Indak-Indak. There, at the performance stage, we met some the candidates of the Hiyas sa Kadayawan.
Their costumes and headdresses were beautiful!
Then, it was time for the grand performance of each contingent.
This team from Saranggani was the most applauded. And I think they were also the most-awarded team.
Check out their performance below:
After watching the grand showdown, we all got on a van and headed towards the Davao Crocodile Park.
We arrived just in time to see the wonderful bird show at the park.
The Crocodile Park is one of Davao City’s most-visited tourist destinations. It is a zoo which also doubles as a crocodile farm and a park,
This small koi pond is a real crowd-drawer.
Can you spot the croc?
This gigantic crocodile looked cute and scary at the same time.
We gave their Crocodile Ice Cream a try. It was delicious! If you’re asking whether or not you’ll find croc meat in their ice cream, I’m sorry to disappoint. They basically just use croc eggs to make the ice cream. 🙂
That night, we went to D Farmers Market! We got a feeling us non-Davaoenos would be forced to eat some Durian. Yikes!
Davaoenos are crazy about Durian!
Surprisingly, the actual fruit wasn’t bad at all! It was actually pretty delicious!
Stay tuned for Part 4 of this series. Coming right up! 🙂
You can also read Part 1 and Part 2 if you want to see more Kadawayan photos. 🙂