DAGUPAN CITY — All is set for this year's Bangus Festival which will be celebrated from April 9 to May 1.

Interviewed on Saturday, Mayor Belen Fernandez said the weeks-long event will open with a fun run to advocate calamity and disaster preparedness among the residents.

"With the calamities happening in some parts of the world, it is important to be prepared," Fernandez said in Filipino.

BANGUS FEST Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez (third from right) and other officials show the winners of the biggest and heaviest bangus (milkfish) contest last year. Fernandez announced on April 5, 2025 that all the necessary preparations are set for this year's Bangus Festival, which will run from April 9 to May 1. PHOTO COURTESY OF MAYOR BELEN FERNANDEZ/PNA

She said the crowd-drawing Gilon-Gilon Ed Baley Street Dancing Competition will be held on April 26.

To celebrate and further boost the city's popular commodity, bangus (milkfish), activities such as Bangus Rodeo, a game on the fastest and most efficient bangus sorter; search for the heaviest bangus; and the "Bangusine," which will feature various unique dishes with bangus as the primary raw material, will be held on April 28.

Fernandez said they again target to grill around 20,000 pieces of bangus in 1,100 grills during the Bangusan Street Party, the highlight of the festival that will be held on April 30.