Kidapawan City – The City of Kidapawan is in full festive spirit as this year’s Timpupo Festival 2025 unfolds with a vibrant mix of arts, culture, business, and fun-filled competitions that showcase the talent, creativity, and traditions of Kidapaweños.
🎨 A City of Colors and Creativity
At the City Gymnasium, visitors are treated to a feast for the eyes through the Visual Art Group Exhibit, where masterpieces by Kidapaweño artists and local creatives are on display. From breathtaking landscapes and bustling city streets to portraits of Mount Apo and Indigenous Peoples, the artworks capture the soul of Kidapawan. The exhibit runs from August 19 to 23, celebrating the artistry that can also be seen around the city through its murals and public art spaces.
💼 First-Ever Business Expo Opens Doors
Meanwhile, over at Gaisano Grand Mall Compound, the city’s entrepreneurial spirit shines in the first-ever Kidapawan Business Expo (KITA: Kidapawan Initiative for Trade Advancement). Launched on August 20, the expo runs until August 24, featuring a wide variety of products and services—from food and beverages, agriculture, tech solutions, and packaging, to beauty, wellness, and home essentials. With exhibitors not just from Kidapawan but also from Davao and the SOCCSKSARGEN region, the expo is a lively marketplace of innovation and opportunity.
🌾 Reliving Tradition: Paglubok og Humay Challenge
Adding a cultural touch to the festivities, barangays across the city gathered at the gymnasium to relive the age-old practice of Paglubok og Humay—pounding rice from palay using the traditional lusong, alho, bilao, and sako.
District 1 bagged the first place in the residents’ category, followed by District 7 and District 8. For the barangay officials’ category, District 8 claimed the top spot, proving that tradition and teamwork go hand in hand. The challenge not only tested skills but also reminded everyone of the deep cultural roots of the city’s Indigenous communities.
🥥 Fun and Flavor with Pagkagod ug Lubi Challenge
No Filipino feast is complete without coconut, and Kidapawan made sure to highlight this in the quirky and exciting Pagkagod ug Lubi Challenge held on August 21 at Suroyan. With coconut in hand, participants raced to grate their way to victory—fast, clean, and efficient.
Barangay Gayola emerged champion, followed by Barangay Binoligan in second place and Barangay Amazion in third. To make things even more exciting, the grated coconut was then used for the succeeding Ginataang Gulay Cooking Challenge, proving that tradition can be both fun and delicious.
🎉 A Festival to Remember
From the splashes of color at the art exhibit, the bustling energy of the business expo, the rhythmic pounding of palay, to the swift grating of coconuts, Timpupo Festival 2025 is more than just a celebration—it is a showcase of Kidapawan’s identity, culture, and progress.
Indeed, the city lives up to the festival’s spirit of thanksgiving, abundance, and unity, reminding everyone—locals and visitors alike—that Kidapawan is a city that celebrates life in the most colorful, flavorful, and festive way.