LOOK: Negros Trade Fair is back in Glorietta for the weekend

MANILA, Philippines – Why not spend your weekend celebrating everything Negros?

Check out the 36th annual Negros Trade Fair (NTF), which is currently ongoing until this weekend from Saturday, September 24 to Sunday, September 25, from 10 am to 9 pm, at Glorietta 4 Activity Center, Makati City. Since Tuesday, September 20, guests have been enjoying various delicacies, home decor, crafts, fashion, and art from Negros.

After two years on hold due to the pandemic, the trade fair is back with its first on-ground event since 2019. The coming together of more than 60 small-to-medium businesses from Negros is also the country’s longest-running provincial trade fair.

The past week has seen visitors taking home goodies from stalls of famous Bacolod brands such as Margie’s Cakes and Pastries, Fresh Start Organics, NVC Foundation, Handmade by Princy, Hacienda Crafts, Felicia’s Pastries, and more.

For sweets and delicacies, there’s El Ideal Bakery, Clara’s Food Products, Felicia’s Pastries, and Virgie’s Homemade; for savory items, vendors like Grem’s Delicacies, Casa Carmela, and T-Flavors are there with free taste tests on hand.

Home decor businesses such as Art Energy, NOAH, and Vallehermoso Helping Hands are selling handmade decor and furniture pieces that showcase Negros craftsmanship at its finest, while stores like Creative Definitions, Chiefs Stones and Crystals, and Domesticity are there with a vast selection of handcrafted clothes, garments, and accessories. 

There are also partner stalls with local government unit stalls at the event, where visitors can book trips to Bacolod, Talisay, Bago, Cadiz, San Carlos, Himamaylan, or Sipalay on the spot.

Due to the pandemic, the NTF migrated online to a new e-commerce platform in 2021, where they were able to expand their reach and establish a stronger online presence.

This year, the fair returns with the theme “Hidlaw,” the Hiligaynon term for missing something or someone. According to NTF chairperson Michael Claparols, the theme is a callback to the two years that customers spent missing the lifestyle, culture, and traditions of Negros.

The products at Negros Trade Fair are also available online. – with reports from Andrea Ebdane/Rappler.com

Andrea Ebdane is a Rappler intern.