Hola Escolta! Eye-Catching Styles at the Street Party of the Year
Exuberant street fashion was the order of the day.
(SPOT.ph) There’s just no other party in Manila quite like it, the way people from all walks of life and all persuasions gather just outside the storied First United Building to let it all out for one night in November. The Escolta block party—this year named Hola, Escolta!—is a much-anticipated event for young, active Manileños, and it usually begins when the sun’s still out and the building famously designed by Andres Luna de San Pedro is throbbing with activity.
This year, there were workshops, screenings, readings, talks and all manner of creative and expressive to-dos, all culminating in a party on the street with music that run the gamut from danceable OPM to whatever the kids are dancing to ATM. And throughout the day, the city’s creatives bring out their wares—it’s called "tabling," we saw somewhere—making the block party a shopping party, too.
But make no mistake, it’s more for sharing than selling here, as in people sharing what they’ve been up to of late with the Escolta-going community, whether it’s charms or signages, stickers, stationeries or clothing. As the party manifesto reads: “We value community over commercialism. The spirit that keeps Escolta alive lies just not in the buildings but in its people.”
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And speaking of people, there were just so many more this year, and many came dressed to put street traffic to a halt. Which just really made this annual gathering all the more fun, colorful and unique. Below are some of the cool, creative creatures that stopped us in our tracks with their eye-catching, exuberant style.
Here are the cool, creative creatures we spotted at Hola Escolta!:
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