MANILA, Philippines – Every cup of coffee tells a story, and every weave carries a legacy. In 2025, the first-ever Biyaya Sustainable Living Festival will bring together coffee, clothing, and crafts from all over the Philippines at Parqal, Aseana City, from March 14 to 16.
Building on the success of the annual Manila Coffee Festival, Biyaya — meaning “a gift from God” — will highlight more aspects of Filipino heritage beyond coffee. This expansion will feature artisanal chocolate, coconut, craft beer, and cultural crafts such as weaves, baskets, shoes, and more.
“We’ve been working with many communities over the years, and we wanted to give them the same platform we provided our coffee farmers at the Manila Coffee Festival. With Biyaya, we can also recognize our local artisans and designers,” Richard Watanabe, founder of the Coffee Heritage Project and co-founder of the Biyaya Sustainable Living Festival, said about the festival’s “rebranding” during the event’s media launch on February 4 at Kapetolyo by SGD Coffee in Manila.
Celebrating Filipino heritage
The three-day festival will feature interactive workshops and live demonstrations from over 200 exhibitors, including coffee, cacao, and coconut farmers, as well as craftsmen, weavers, and local fashion designers.
Some of the festival’s exciting activities include agriculture workshops, coffee and chocolate tastings, artisan craft demonstrations, sustainable fashion shows, baybayin art and traditional tattoo sessions, and a chalk mural competition.
To foster meaningful dialogue, the festival’s Biyaya Speaks segment wil feature thought leaders, innovators, and cultural advocates discussing sustainability, cultural conservation, and community empowerment. Attendees can also enjoy cultural performances featuring traditional dances and music.
Biyaya Festival tickets are priced at P500 for regular attendees, while undergraduate students can avail of the discounted rate of P200. These tickets grant access to all booths and activities.
Still brewing coffee and more
Coffee lovers, don’t worry — the Manila Coffee Festival remains a key part of the Biyaya Festival, featuring nine exciting sections!
The highly anticipated festival will still include the Single Origin Bar, Coffee Village, and Cacao Alley. Festival-goers will have the rare opportunity to taste and purchase world-class, award-winning coffee from Sagada, Batangas, and Sultan Kudarat.
“The Philippines has great coffee, and we’ve proven that with 10 international recognitions from the Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products,” Watanabe said.
Performances and art will take center stage at the Pocket Stage and Art Hall. The festival’s seventh edition will also introduce four new sections — Roaster’s District, Tap Avenue, Kalye Coco, and Biyaya Speaks — showcasing skilled roasters, Filipino craft beer, and coconut products.
According to Watanabe, they’re bringing in more diversity after recognizing that coffee is just one part of farmers’ livelihoods.
“Since coffee farmers only harvest at certain times of the year, they rely on other trades — cacao farming, coconut production, weaving, basketry, and even pottery — to sustain them. Biyaya isn’t just about coffee; it’s about uplifting the entire ecosystem of heritage industries that allow these communities to thrive,” he explained.
Sustainable fashion takes the stage
Beyond coffee and food products, Biyaya Festival will highlight traditional weaves from different communities across the country.
The event celebrates Filipino culture, creativity, and craftsmanship by bringing in artists and crafters to exhibit their works.
“Our objective with Biyaya is to honor not just the farmers, but also the weavers and crafters, in any way we can. We’ll bring them to Manila so they can gain more attention while selling their products,” said Tati Fortuna, circular fashion advocate and image consultant.
One of the festival’s highlights, The Walk, will be a fashion show integrating indigenous weaving patterns into everyday clothing. Fortuna will also introduce Tahi, a new sustainable clothing line that uses natural fibers, deadstock fabrics, and local weaves from a chosen community each season.
“Traditional Filipino outfits are often intricate and made for special occasions, making them a one-time-use purchase. With Tahi, we want to incorporate weaves into basic pieces so that people can wear them regularly — whether to work, parties, or everyday events,” she shared.
Community and crafts at the heart
At its core, the Biyaya Sustainable Living Festival is about the communities: farmers, artisans, and designers.
Watanabe shared that they felt the need to highlight the crafts of these communities because they “would soon be gone if they didn’t.” Through this community effort, they can give them the publicity for what they do, so they can continue to thrive. One of the festival’s long-term goals is to connect these artisans with the right markets, so their crafts survive and are passed on to future generations.
“It’s sad because people don’t usually buy banig (woven mat) and kulambo (mosquito net) anymore, even though we still have traditional textile weavers. It’s not enough that they exist; the only way to sustain their craft is for us to use their products,” Fortuna added.
Biyaya Festival will sponsor the participation of 75 farmers and weavers, allowing them to join the festival for free and keep 100% of their sales.
“When we protect, nurture, and grow the heritage craft and practices of Filipino communities, we ensure their sustainable livelihood,” Watanabe said. “In the process, these communities can continue to live on the land of their ancestors, safeguarding not just their culture but also the environment. Thriving, sustainable communities are the foundation for environmental protection.”
The Manila Coffee Festival’s mission remains the same — “to show that coffee is more than just a commodity but a part of our cultural identity, which [we] commit to sustain.”
Before it was renamed to Biyaya Festival, the gathering was held at Marriott Manila in 2023 and 2024, at Intramuros in 2022 after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, and at Manila Hotel’s Tent City in 2020.
For more information, visit the Manila Coffee Festival’s official Facebook page. – Rappler.com