Pop-ups have become one of Cebu’s favorite ways to spend a weekend. You meet friends there, browse racks of clothes you swear you are only looking at, buy matching bracelets, discover a new local brand, grab coffee, and somehow leave with four paper bags and less money than you intended. PIQUED Fest had all of that.
More Than Shopping: An Interactive Experience
What surprised me was how little time I actually spent shopping. Every time I stopped by a booth, there was something waiting for me to do. I built my own perfume, decorated a brownie, and made a loop of anik-anik (charms). At one point, I found myself talking to Rae, a tarot reader, about guided journaling and whether people are ever completely honest with their own journals. The conversations became part of the experience.
That is perhaps what PIQUED understands best about how young Cebuanos want to spend their free time today. People are no longer looking for places where they can simply buy things. They are looking for places where they can participate.
A Three-Day Community Gathering
For three days, from June 19 to 21, Corte Garden at Ayala Malls Central Bloc was transformed into a picnic-style community space where visitors could move between local brands, workshops, live performances, and community activities at their own pace. Blankets, open spaces, busking performances, and interactive booths created an atmosphere that felt closer to a weekend hangout than a conventional market.
The event brought together a diverse mix of Cebuano businesses and creatives. Visitors could shop from brands such as Steekers, Adamas Strings, ZellaCrochet, A Raediant Light, Bantayan Sweets & Salties, Le Chata, Fleur de Louise, Oats Ta Bai, Build Your Own Perfume, Bao Street Bites, Haste Coffee & Matcha, Kasa Brew, and Cookie Bestie CebuPh, among others. But shopping was only one part of the experience.
Workshops and Hands-On Activities
Throughout the weekend, guests joined journaling sessions, resin art workshops, floral arrangement activities, and other hands-on creative experiences. Several booths encouraged visitors to personalize products, create keepsakes, or simply sit down and learn something new. The festival was also pet-friendly, with the Paw Parade becoming one of the crowd favorites as pet owners brought their furry companions into the celebration. Community networking spaces, merchant showcases, and recreational activities gave attendees plenty of reasons to stay long after making their first purchase.
Vision Behind PIQUED Fest
The concept was developed by Dericke Gwaine Tan together with his creative team composed of Michael B. Villaflor, Jan Vay Mantalaba, and Hyacinth Miral Estudillo, who envisioned PIQUED as more than a marketplace. Their goal was to create a recurring platform where local entrepreneurs, artists, students, hobby groups, and communities could gather in one shared space.
“Unlike traditional bazaars and weekend fairs, PIQUED FEST places equal emphasis on community participation and audience engagement,” said Tan. “You come for one thing and end up staying for three others. A quick stop becomes hours. A purchase becomes a conversation. A booth becomes a workshop.”
Community Participation as the Main Draw
PIQUED’s biggest draw may not be the merchandise lining its booths, but the sense of involvement it creates among the people who gather there.
