San Miguel Brewery Inc., the top beer brewery in the country, started its annual San Miguel Oktoberfest in September, and the fun and festivities will stretch out until the beginning of November. The premier beer brand has been around for over a century and it knows how to party.
This year’s theme is #DiverCity—a mash-up of the words “diverse” and “city”. Recognizing that partygoers celebrate in different ways and have diverse interests and tastes, San Miguel offered beer lovers a plethora of events in various spaces to choose from for Oktoberfest: rock concerts, music festivals, surfing events, pulutan battles, pub crawls, and even a mixed martial arts competition. Creatures with beers in hand roved across all terrains—from cities to beaches—to promote diversity in personality, trips, vibes, and locations when it comes to partying.
For Halloween weekend, San Miguel Oktoberfest went all out with simultaneous parties all around the country. We focused our attention on three events happening in the city during that time. Here’s what went down during the wild Halloween weekend of 2017:
Poblacion
Rain poured as the evening rolled in on Saturday night, and for a moment there it seemed like the Game of Thrones Street Party in the hip and happening Poblacion was going to be—like one of the numerous events that made our collective hearts stop during the series that inspired its theme—a tragedy. But alas, it only served as a fleeting deterrent, as the weather gods old and new eventually allowed the sky to breathe and granted costumed revelers permission to party in the streets.
The area outside of Z Hostel served as ground zero for the event, as the distinctive San Miguel Oktoberfest bar was set up to draw and cater to a beer-thirsty crowd milling about the streets of Poblacion. The scene was set to make guests feel like they were in the realm of the Seven Kingdoms. Banners with the sigils of the famous families of Westeros were hung along the streets and dragons, one strewn up and looked like it was flying in the breeze, and two larger ones at the corner of Don Pedro and Alfonso Streets stood guard over the festivities.
A string quartet played the Game of Thrones theme to and other music from the series at the Z Hostel Lobby, while famous scenes from the show played on a monitor. There were cosplayers decked out in amazing costumes. Jon Snow, Daenerys, Cersei, and Khal Drogo were there, as was the Night King, whose makeup was so accurate his eyes even lit up. One of the hosts even had a dragon headdress and donned a beautiful dress that looked like it was covered in scales. The Ruins along Alfonso St. was where the Iron Throne was placed, and where Mojofly (whose lead singer, Lougee Basabas, dressed as pre-Khaleesi Daenerys) performed to an appreciative crowd. Trivia games tested the knowledge of the GoT enthusiasts, separating the casual reader/viewer from the true fan.
Many people came as their favorite GoT character, but there were others who eschewed the theme altogether. Props go to the penis and vagina couple and the badass girl who came as a bacon strip. The Costume Contest had five top contenders, with a pretty accurate G.I. Joe making the cut even though he was out of theme. In the end, the top spot was to be decided between the Sand Snakes (who were actual sisters), and the Sons of the Harpy, with the underground insurgency group bagging the grand prize.
Central Business District
Meanwhile, tucked in the heart of Salcedo Village, people from the LGBT community converged to celebrate Halloween weekend by taking a trip down the rabbit hole for a magical journey to Red Rabbit’s Wonderland Once Upon a Time Halloween Party. Partygoers brought out their wild sides as they shed their regular selves and were taken to a fairytale land.
Bugsy’s Makati became a magical paradise populated by characters from the beloved Alice in Wonderland and beyond. Guests got all dolled up and danced the night away fueled by San Miguel Beers and the hottest mixes by the guest DJs. Patrons were also treated to performances by The Rabbit Hole Drag Bunnies, Hunky Rabbits, and Addlib Divas, who all got the crowd’s energy going throughout the night.
Mall of Asia Complex
Sunday was not a day of rest, as the Halloween Horror House at One Esplanade opened its spooky doors that day. The Asian horror stories-inspired attraction, now in its second year, had 12 rooms ranging from the expected scary locations (cemetery, hospital) to the unusual (Chinese restaurant, Thailand). It was impossible to predict what was going to come at you next. Families, barkadas, and cosplayers came dressed in their scariest Halloween best to see if they could muster the courage to go through the entire horror house.
There were concessionaires that sold snacks to people waiting for their turn to enter and to those who worked up an appetite after being scared out of their wits once they got out. There were also fair games like darts, duck pin bowling, and a ring toss to keep people entertained and occupied. Of course San Miguel Beer products were offered to calm the nerves after a harrowing run in the horror house and to celebrate a fun Halloween.
A great party brings all kinds of people together for an unforgettable time in an electric atmosphere, and Oktoberfest celebrates all of the different ways people party with San Miguel’s nine world-class beer brands: San Miguel Pale Pilsen, San Mig Light, Red Horse Beer, San Miguel Flavored Beer, San Mig Zero, San Miguel Premium All Malt, Cerveza Negra, San Miguel Super Dry and, in the Visayas and Mindanao, Gold Eagle Beer that can be enjoyed during and after Oktoberfest. No matter what kind of party animal you, are there is a drink for you out there.
For sure, next year’s San Miguel Oktoberfest will only get bigger and better. If you missed the fun festivities last October, be sure to catch the following events this November:
Batangueno Musikero Festival | Nov. 4 | Batangas City Stadium
Jack TV Pub Crawl | Nov. 8 | San Juan, Greenhills
Cable Car | Nov. 10 | Clark, Pampanga
Unknwn | Nov 25 | I’m Hotel
Visit San Miguel Oktoberfest on Facebook for news and updates on the event schedules.
Photos and video by Star Sabroso
