Higher kiosk rents in Dinagyang Food Fest due to fewer stalls

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

With fewer food kiosks participating in this year’s Dinagyang Food Fest, kiosk owners were burdened by rental fees that reached as high as PHP18,000.

“We are trying to figure out how to subsidize and make sure that we can lessen the rent. Our rental increased by PHP1,000 from last year, but that is because the number of kiosks is much lower,” said Jay Treñas, Chairman of Dinagyang Food Festival Committee.

The rental of the kiosk this year was at PHP18,000 for four days, inclusive of a PHP1,000 bond.

Around 300 food kiosks joined last year’s festival, while this year recorded more than 270 participants.

The food fest was organized by the Iloilo Hotel Restaurants & Resorts Association in partnership with the Association of Barangay Captains.

Treñas said Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu has committed to exploring ways to subsidize kiosk rentals for next year’s food fest, although details on how the subsidy will be implemented have yet to be finalized.

Some kiosk owners said the rental fee, which they deemed too expensive, prompted them to raise food prices to offset costs.

“That’s exactly why we’re looking into ways to subsidize and reduce the rental fees, so at the same time, vendors can lower their food prices. That is why we are prioritizing coordination with the organizers and kiosk owners to identify what needs improvement,” Treñas said.

He acknowledged that there are aspects of the food fest that still need refinement, stressing the importance of learning from previous editions.

“Every time we hold a food fest, there are always things we need to improve. What’s important is that we learn from the previous festival and find ways to do better,” he said.

Among the improvements noted this year was better waste collection management generated by the food fest.

“We see that working hand in hand with sponsors is a big contribution. This is something we want to explore further so we can support local artists, add more free shows, and find ways to reduce rental costs,” he said.

Despite the issues raised, Treñas said this year’s Dinagyang Food Fest was successful, citing high attendance and positive reception of the first-ever 360-degree stage spanning four streets of the downtown area.