Every year, students and friends of the University of the Philippines Diliman, anticipate and prepare for a week of great music, food and festivities. The much-awaited annual UP Fair Week is always a grand event that even non-UP Students look forward to. For an entire week, the UP Diliman Sunken Garden is transformed into a fair ground of sorts where you’ll find the expected shawarma, hotdog and usual UP food fare and bazaar booths selling indie CDs, movies, henna tattoos, accessories, band shirts, and just about anything and everything. Of course, there’re also the videoke booths lining the perimeter, the rock climbing wall, and the ever-present perya rides, plus the distinct, unmistakable UP Fair smell, creating an extraordinary and festive mood. But more than anything, people have been coming to the UP Diliman fair for years for the music.

More than the usual fair, the UP Fair Week is also a weeklong series of great concerts providing a totally complete and diverse musical experience for the thousands of people watching every night. Each year, over a hundred bands and artists grace the Sunken Garden stage with their presence. Yes, it has been known for a few gang skirmishes and several other scary incidents that have occurred during the harder rock bands’ sets, but because of added security measures, the UP Fair is back with a vengeance – and even more safe, this year. From the likes of MYMP, balladeer Christian Bautista, R&B singer Jay-R or even Chad, the “rocker” from Pinoy Dream Academy to bands like Bamboo, Kamikazee, Greyhoundz and Queso - I kid you not when I say that you will hear all kinds of music here.

What’s also great about watching the concerts is that aside from all the popular local acts in the scene now, this is also the place to check out what kind of new music UP’s underground bands have been brewing. Aside from all the big name acts, there’re also plenty of indie and underground bands performing, making for a great venue for those looking out for the scene’s future rockstars. Band and artist line-ups are very impressive; so much so that people actually camp out on the grounds and watch all night until the wee hours of the morning just to see all of their favorite bands. So if you’re a music buff or you just want to see all the hottest local acts now in one single venue, then head on down to UP Diliman’s Sunken Garden today until February 17, 2007, for this year’s serving.



Tonight (Tuesday, Feb. 12) belongs to Pan Xenia Fraternity and Adelfe Enu Crea Sorority, offering us LOVERAGE: Spread The Love, Not The Virus featuring an exclusive performance from Bamboo and hosted by Angel Aquino, Cheska Garcia and Iya Villania. This concert will also be aired on Campus Radio 97.1 LSFM and will also feature performances from Orange & Lemons, Sugarfree, Spongecola, MYMP, 6CycleMind, Hale, Callalily, UpDharmaDown, Sandwich, Itchyworms, Mojofly, Kala, Blue Ketchup, Protein Shake, Fuse, Juana, Craeons, Severo, Paraluman, Garden of Eden, Publico, Avelin, Manibela, Pumping Pluto, Plastic Balloo, Chubibo, Wanwurd, The Unknown, and many more. Tickets will be selling at P85, show starts at 6PM.

On Valentine’s Night, it’s SchizoFAIRnia III: A Twisted Love Affair brought to us by UP EMC and UP Circle of Entrepreneurs. Spend Hearts’ Day watching special full sets from Freestyle and Orange & Lemons, and shorts sets from Sandwich, Imago, 6CycleMind, Sugarfree, Radioactive Sago Project, Giniling Festival, Up Dharma Down, Kiko Machine, Session Road, Narda, Paramita, Jeepney Joyride, Pedicab, Datu’s Tribe, Protein Shake, Ang Bandang Shirley, Paraluman, Effinboiche and many others.

Thursday night is hosted by UP Sigma Beta Sorority for the 5th year now, and gives us this year’s SISFIRE 5: AT 75: Ituloy Ang Ligaya featuring Rivermaya, Kamikazee, Gian of Philippine Idol, Callalily, Queso, Dictalicense, The Dorques, Gif, Frio, Fuse, Hale, Hilera, Itchyworms, Kjwan, Mojofly, Moonstar88, Rocksteddy, Session Road, Shamrock, Slapshock, Stonefree, Sugarfree, Hardboiled Eggz, Liwayway and the Super Luningnings, Pinwheel, K8Screw, Tikaz Greggy, Narda, Aizo, Delayed, Salamin, Blazing Bulalakaws, and others. Concert starts at 6PM and tickets are being sold for P85 as well.

An exceptionally interesting night would be Friday, February 16, as UP Beta Epsilon Fraternity gives us ROCKESTRA: The Fake Sound of Progress, with performances by Moonstar88, Mojofly, Kamikazee, Itchyworms, Rocksteddy, Chicosci, Queso, Typecast, Mayonnaise, Cybell's Robe, Breastpheed, Maryz Ark, Drivethru, Matilda, Mana, Sandlady, Trauma, 18th Issue, K8screw, Sibuyas Online, Menaya, Soapdish, Ang Bandang Shirley, Oi Wag D2, Up Dharma Down, Valley Of Chrome, Slapshock, Kiko Machine, Sacramento, The Brew, Radioactive Sago Project, Silent Sanctuary, La Passionaria, Peace Pipe, Kampai, April Morning Skies and an extra special performance from Parokya Ni Edgar with the 13th Ensemble Orchestra. You can buy your tickets for P85, OR if you’re coming in a group of more than 10, you get one free ticket for every 10 tickets bought. Another deal you can avail of is to get a Rakista shirt for P220 at the gates and get 1 ticket for free!

The last night is almost always the most attended and most popular one and the concert that really extends until the morning after. This is the night when people come with their own chairs, blankets and mats to use while camping out. This year, at Saturday Night FEEver: UP Gets Banned!, as the culminating activity for the weeklong “UP Not Fair Sale” and brought to us by the University Student Council, we’ll also be seeing indie movies from Banned Movies Pilipinas, too, as well as performances from Sugarfree, Brownman Revival, Moonstar88, Spongecola, Itchyworms, Slapshock, Bored of Trustees, Severo, Taggu n Dios, Rinka Collective amongst others.

The UP Fair experience is something not to be missed! There is always something for everyone but in its almost Woodstock-ish resemblance, it is about the entire musical experience.

The UP Fair is spearheaded by the University Student Council of the University of the Philippines in celebration of the University's Foundation Day.