AN aerial view of downtown Cebu where over a million people gathered to witness the spectacular Sinulog Grand Parade. — An aerial view of downtown Cebu where over a million people gathered to witness the spectacular Sinulog Grand Parade.

People from all over the country converge in Cebu on the first month of the year to witness and take part in one of the most anticipated and biggest festivals in the Philippines. Sinulog is, first and foremost, the feast day of Sto. Niño, or the Child Jesus. But it is also a celebration of culture, music and color.

Telecommunications firm Globe Telecom added more color and more fun to Sinulog this year, when it brought its The Next ACT (Art, Community and Technology) campaign. Globe held simultaneous activities from variety shows to parties to interactive brand booths all throughout the four-day festival making the streets of Cebu one big party place. Celebrities, bands and DJs joined in the fun and pumped up the volume further.

“We customize The Next ACT to fit each of the festivals that we go to. We want to make sure that whenever Globe comes to a festival, we bring something different and provide something to look forward to,” said Joe Caliro, Globe Head for Retail Transformation and Management.

The looming typhoon didn’t dampen the spirits of festivalgoers as they enjoyed the night away with Pinoy band Callalily and front man Kean Cipriano. The band played its popular songs to the delight of the night owls. The vicinity of One Mango Mall was transformed into one humongous dance floor. Party people overflowed to the streets till morning. Gen3 Next ACT faces DJs Mars Miranda, Callum David, Badkiss and Eric Capili provided the electronic dance music.

Tattoo and Elektromundo brought Manila’s biggest club Valkyrie to Cebu and held not one but two parties: a pre-party at the hottest place in Cebu, LivSuperclub, and a main party at the open parking of City Times Square the next day. Aside from the waived entrance fee, the people who attended the parties also received Tattoo bandana and wristband and shot glass used for the free drinks.

Celebrity and Cloudfone ambassador Xian Lim also graced Globe Mobility’s variety show to the delight of fans.

Globe Prepaid pumped up the volume louder with more bands spearheaded by Sponge Cola and Radioactive Sago Project with front man Lourd de Veyra and more music from DJs Jess Milner, Aaron Atayde and Mars Miranda for Hangout Load Up sessions at Mango Square.

Well-loved band Parokya ni Edgar turns up the heat at TM's Republikaravan. — Well-loved band Parokya ni Edgar turns up the heat at TM’s Republikaravan.

The following day saw Parokya ni Edgar playing to a packed crowd at TM’s Republikaravan concert held at Gaisano Bowlplex. The band played their most popular songs and the crowd sang along until the wee hours.

There were also pocket events sponsored by Globe Prepaid such as Threadfast 2015 at Parkmall with Chicosci, Urbandub, Small Hands, Franco, Elyn, Wilabaliw, and bands and DJs from Cebu.

Another highlight of the event was the Green Heli chopper ride sponsored by Globe that gave the media and bloggers an exhilarating aerial view of the city, the Sto. Niño procession, and the Sinulog grand parade for three consecutive days.

Globe also saw it fitting to launch its new myLifestyle Plans during the Sinulog where anyone interested can avail of the discounted P699 bundle comprising a Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 Lite and Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7 Wi-Fi. The plan includes GoSurf 99 with 100 MB of mobile Internet, free Spotify basic, Viber 99, free one month Navigation Bundle, and free 1 GB Globe Cloud Storage for 24 months.

The new Globe myLifestylePlan can be availed of with a base plan of 499 with built-in unlimited Call and Text to Globe and TM, free one-month Navigation Bundle, free 1GB Globe Cloud Storage, and one-month Gadget Care. This is a plan only without any device.

On the other hand, Globe Tattoo launched its best deals of Mobile Wi-Fi, which is free at Plan 499 and LTE Mobile Wi-Fi with Powerbank at Plan 999.

Globe Next ACT is set to dominate other major festivals in the country for the rest of the year. Subscribers can expect grander and more colorful activities and new products to heat up the festivities.