ANNIVERSARY NUMBER 1919 



71 



The Philippine Carnival 



THE MARDI-GRAS OF THE ORIENT 



ENTRANCE TO CARNIVAL, 1918 



{{Once each year the Philippines becomes 

 thejplayground of the Far East. 



In 1908 the first Philippine Carnival was 

 held in Manila, and every year since then, 

 with the exception of the present, when war 

 conditions appeared last summer such as to 

 justify its postponement, a successor more 

 elaborate and more attractive has been staged 

 in Manila on historic Wallace Field, during 

 the closing days of January or the beginning 

 of February, when the climate of the islands 

 is at its best. The 1920, or Victory Carni- 

 val, will be the greatest event of its sort ever 

 held anywhere in the Orient. 



The carnival city yearly raises itself al- 

 most overnight on the huge level field lying 

 below the old Spanish walls, which form 

 unique background for the ultra-modern 

 pageantry of the Fiesta. In addition to the 

 varied sideshows and concessions represent- 

 ing every country of the east, there are at- 

 tractions from the United States and Europe. 

 No expense is spared in giving to the carni- 

 val a beautiful setting and of late years the 

 illumination effects have been as gorgeous, 

 though on a smaller scale, as those wrought 

 at great international expositions. 



AUDITORIUM WHERE TWO THOUSAND COUPLES DANCED NIGHTLY IN THE OPEN AIR, 1918 CARNIVAL 



MERALCO TOWER, 1918 CARNIVAL 



There are commercial and government 

 exhibits in connection with the carnival, and 

 on no other occasion is.it possible to gain 

 at once such a comprehensive idea of the 

 production and development of resources of 

 the archipelago as that which is offered the 

 visitor at the carnival city. 



In the evenings the carnival becomes the 

 center of Philippine and Oriental social ac- 

 tivity. A huge open-air auditorium serves 

 for the elaborate nightly balls, and on its 

 mammoth floor thousands of couples swing 

 together to the strains of music furnished by 

 the famous-.C^mstabulary and other military 

 bands. P^ft&bly at no other place in the 

 world will ofie "see an equally impressive cos- 

 mopolitaqapectacle. 



The Manila visitor who can plan his trip 

 to arrive at the Pearl of the Orient for car- 

 nival time may well deem himself fortunate. 



