...is unlike anything you have ever witnessed anywhere else in the world.
While all other cities where you have spent New Year's Eve typically hold one central display that usually lasts 30-45 minutes, Manila's fireworks begin several hours before the final countdown - and it is city-wide. It seems like just about every government building compound, every shopping mall, every apartment complex neighborhood in every borough creates its own display. The best place to view fireworks on New Year's Eve is on the upper-floor balcony of a high-rise condominium building, where you can catch a 180-degree view of fireworks all over the city for as far as the eye can see. It is nothing short of mind-blowing. The entire Metro Manila area becomes a spectacular fireworks display site. The fireworks gradually increase in intensity and frequency until midnight when it reaches a huge crescendo.
After it's all over, a little past midnight, a thick blanket of smoke descends upon Manila and the buildings that are once visible in the flashing lights disappear in a huge cloud. It is advisable to stay indoors and shut all windows for the rest of the night until the breeze has cleared the air. In the morning, the scent of explosive powder still lingers.
Here are the photos from my 11th-floor balcony over the past several years of New Year's Eve fireworks in Metro Manila...
December 31, 2016
December 31, 2015
December 31, 2012
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| After midnight, no one is left but the cleaning crew... |
Next: MAGICAL MINDORO
"Life is not a journey, but a pilgrimage..."
- Kokoy Severino has been in a constant state of travel since he was four years old.
