Germany’s Oktoberfest beer-drinking festival has different versions in the Philippines that use the same name. The version in Tacloban City, Leyte, however, is different. Coconut wine called tuba is the center of the celebration dubbed Oktubafest.

Tubawine comes from the sap of coconut palm that is matured for up to two years.

Taclobanons will hold the annual Oktubafest at the city’s Astrodome on Friday, 26 October.

Highlighting the event are the biggest gathering of tuba producers in the Visayas region and contests on the best tuba, tuba cocktail, cooking using tuba and on-the-spot painting, photography and video blogging. Of course, Oktubafest is a feast so there will be gaiety and merrymaking.

Already 10 years in the running, Oktubafest is helping promote the cultural heritage and the tuba industry of Leyte and Samar provinces.

The festival may inspire other local wine producers in the Philippines to have their own versions of Oktoberfest. The Ilocanos can celebrate an Oktubasifest or Oktubofest for their sugarcane-based wine called basi. The Cordillerans can have Oktapuyfest for their rice-based liquor tapuy. For the other kinds of liquor, they can simply hold Oktagayfest.

Kampai!