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MANILA, Philippines — From hobbyists to bibliophiles, the weekend is packed for those who are looking forward to indulge in their favorite games and advance copies of the most anticipated book titles.
Check out this calendar of events happening this weekend (April 24 to April 26).
Diá del Libro
Instituto Cervantes de Manila is belatedly celebrating World Book Day with "Día del Libro" event on April 25, Saturday, for a full day of activities in Makati's Ayala Triangle Gardens.
Several bookstores and publishing houses will be selling books onsite at a 20% discount, with each purchase — as in Spanish tradition — accompanied by a free rose.
The famous Spanish novel "Don Quixote" will be a central focus of activities, such as the long-running "Escribo el Quijote," where vistors are tasked with handwriting the book.
The final hand-written book will be deposited in the Library of Instituto Cervantes and participants in the handwriting chain will receive a free book.
Visitors are encouraged to join the "Libros que Importan" or Books That Matter public book exchange where each donated book has a personal note explaining what it means to the original owner, as well as two free beginner Spanish classes.
IVE
Korean girl group IVE is returning to the Philippines for their "Show What I Am" world tour.
Also taking place on April 25, the K-pop act will be performing at the Mall of Asia Arena — the same venue they visited for their "Show What I Have" tour stop back in 2024.
IVE debuted in 2021 with its single album "Eleven," which was succeeded by "Love Dive" and "After Like" the following year.
The group's first studio album, 2023's "I've I've," feature the singles "Kitsch" and "I Am." Since then IVE has released seven extended plays (four Korean, three Japanese), the most recent one being "IVE Secret" from last August.
FORTYfied: Joey Albert 45
Filipino singer-songwriter Joey Albert celebrates her 45th anniversary in the music industry with her "FORTYfied" concert at Pasay's Newport Performing Arts Theater.
Joining her at the April 25 show are Janice de Belen, Raymond Lauchengco, Janet Basco, Iwi Laurel, Chad Borja, Judith Banal, and Pops Fernandez.
International Dance Day Fest
This year's International Dance Day Fest celebrations continue until April 26 with different performances taking up Makati's Samsung Performing Arts Theater stage, all ahead of the International Dance Day proper on April 29.
The American Ballet Theatre Studio Company opened proceedings last April 22 which was suceeded on the following days by the Folk and Traditional Dance Gala and the Street Dance Gala respectively.
Saturday, April 25, will be dedicated to the Ballet Gala featuring some the country's leading ballet talents: Ballet Manila Inc., Philippine Ballet Theater. Ballet Philippines, Alice Reyes Dance Philippines, Steps Dance Studio, and Association of Ballet Academies in the Philippines.
Closing the event series is the Contemporary Gala where performers include Hiraya, the UP Dance Company, Galaw.Co Dance Theater, Benilde Experimental Dance, Airdance, Daloy Dance Company, The Project DP, Rhosam Prudenciado, the FEU Dance Company, and Dance Forum.
Booklovers hangout at Fully Booked
Homegrown bookstore Fully Booked invites bookworms to visit the Reading Room.
Until April 25, Fully Booked will for a second time turn the Bonifacio High Street branch's The Studio, which typically hosts book events, into a "Reading Room" where bookworms can preview advance reading copies and highly anticipated titles before their release dates.
Advanced copies of upcoming releases include Matt Haig's "The Midnight Train," Rainbow Rowell's "Cherry Baby," and Asako Yuzuki's "Hooked" as well as freshly published titles such as Uketsu's "Strange Buildings" and Jennette McCurdy's "Half His Age."
"Reading a chapter or two is the best way for a reader to know whether a book is something they will delight in," said the bookstore's marketing head Ilia Uy. "We're excited to facilitate this experience with our Reading Room sessions, in a space where reading can take center stage."
Bookworms visiting the Reading Room will be asked to register and given a Reading Room Card, similar to a library card, to record the chosen books they’ll borrow for their session. Each participant will be given an hour and a half to read. They can read and borrow as many titles as they want during the session duration, but only one at a time.
Game Changers' Hobby Fest
Card game collectors and enthusiasts alike will gather once again, not just to play, but to trade, discover, and celebrate the growing "Magic: The Gathering" (MTG) community at the Activity Area of Gateway Mall 1 until April 26 26 for the Game Changers' Hobby Fest.
Activities include MTG tournaments hosted by Game Changer & High Market, tabletop gaming experiences, CookieRun, explore singles, sealed and grails from trading card merchants, and scour for toy collectibles and must-have finds.
International Franchise Expo
This weekend Franchise Asia Philippines hosts the International Franchise Expo at the SMX Convention Center Manila various brands gather meet with fellow industry leaders and experts.
Making up the expo this year bearing the theme "Franchising Together: ASEAN to the WORLD" are a series of aligned conferences and seminars.
