The Philippines has always enjoyed a vibrant music scene, from intimate and whole-in-the- wall bars to large music venues, all the way to festivals that see thousands of guests coming to enjoy their favorite bands. Rolling Gum pushed the envelope with Bobapalooza and for its second year, the production and artist management collective aims to create a more varied festival experience.
“We want to make sure that people that go to our events have a new experience and not just for the band that they’ll see. We will also have traditional artists that will be performing live arts in front of the crowds. We have also invited international bands to join this year’s Bobapalooza,” Karen Gayle Oblea, CEO of Rolling Gum said.
Oblea shared that this was possible because Rolling Gum is composed of people that work in different fields of the arts. Oblea herself is a filmmaker while others are recording artists, music producers, and traditional visual artists. This allows Rolling Gum to look at events from a different lens and synergize the different strengths of its members to create events that are a step up from the norm.
“Most festivals are focused on one particular type of art and normally, this is just replicated by others. So we keep seeing the same things over and over again. We wanted to give a different flair, a different flavor. It’s hard to differentiate yourself but because the people of Rolling Gum come from different artistic backgrounds, we can leverage each other’s expertise,” Oblea said.
The festival organizers are also in the middle of the Boba Brawl, a nationwide battle of the bands competition. The initial auditions have already been completed and the finals will be held on September 16 and 17 for the Visayas and Mindanao leg and in October for the Luzon leg. A winner will be named from each region and the winning bands will be part of the Bobapalooza 2 lineup of performers.
Oblea shared that the battle of the bands competition aims to shine the spotlight on unknown talents and give them an opportunity to perform for a wider audience. “Those who are in the art scene are here because there is something that they want to express, and that’s what we at Rolling Gum want to focus on. We all have a vision to showcase the talent of our fellow Filipinos,” Oblea said.
The 2-day music and arts festival will be held at the Filinvest Events Grounds in Alabang on February 24-25, 2024. Oblea said that the Bobapalooza moved to a bigger venue to accommodate more guests. The new venue is now capable of holding 20,000 guests.
