Where do Baguio’s cool kids go?

Prom Night, a Rock Band Baguio event. ---Jericho Uy Fazon

Where do the cool kids of Baguio go to have fun? We asked a cool kid—Nina Soriano, who divides her time between Baguio and Tarlac.

Her first answer? Cafés.

“Like this one,” she said, meaning Leandro’s Bistro in Ili-likha (32 Assumption Road) where we met her. “I used to be a barista here. The owner is a friend of mine and thanks to him, I have a wonderful boyfriend.”

Friends and artists at Ili-likha. –Nina Soriano

That day, Soriano was waiting for friends and customers to pick up the shirts, hats and tote bags they ordered from her. Her merch features the doodles of her inner cat persona.

She loves hanging out at Ili-likha. “Ili-likha is one of the best places—because it’s more on art, history, indigenousness, especially because it was [National Artist for Film] Kidlat Tahimik who created this.”

Other cafés she frequents are “Common Ground (6 Gen. Lim St., Burnham) around Legarda and Hot Cat (1 Yangco Road corner Brent Road), around Pink Sisters. A lot of young people go to those places.”

And when they do, they’re met by familiar faces. “Baguio is really a small community, sobrang magkakilala lahat,” Soriano said. A lot of students from Baguio’s universities spend time at her favorite cafés, too.

Open mic nights

The cafés also seem to be a springboard for more fun—their walls bear the posters and flyers of upcoming events in the city. When we visited Hot Cat, they had a poster promoting Up North Comedy—stand-up comedy open mic nights held on Wednesdays at Ginto Cafe (Session Road) and Highland Smokehouse (Calle Uno Hub, Escada Road corner Naguilian Road).There are pop-ups, too, like the Spice and Everything Nice flea market happening today and tomorrow at Common Ground.

“We also have small parties for everyone,” said Soriano, putting the emphasis on “everyone.” “It’s for everyone, every gender, everyone is equal. We have rave parties called Dancefloor Therapy—it’s dancing for therapy.”

Another Prom Night moment —photo by Jericho Uy Fazon

According to the Dancefloor Therapy website (dancefloortherapy.com), “Dancefloor Therapy aims to create an atmosphere of warmth, openness and inclusivity rarely found on dance floors today. Through thoughtful event curation, this is our guarantee: sound to feel and space to dance.”

Soriano is a fan of those parties. “The parties are random. You have to follow @dancefloortherapy on Instagram to find out when they are. It’s not about drinking. It’s really more about dancing, socializing.”

Yesterday, Dancefloor Therapy hosted not a dance party, but a sit-down listening party and indoor picnic for the closing of the “B: Show!,” a community group show that showcases silver gelatin prints, at 217 Bonifacio Residences.

“I go where Dancefloor Therapy goes and where the organization Northern Luzon Pride goes,” Soriano said.

Queer prom

In July, the volunteer-led NGO by and for the LGBTQIA+ community organized “Likha ni Accla,” an exhibit featuring the works of queer artists from Northern Luzon at Luisa’s Cafe on Session Road. In June, they had Queer Prom, which featured a runway competition and music from DJs Uyuu, Furajang, Sinag, Delilah.svg and the band Rosewood. The event took place at Smoke & Barrel at Summer Pines Residences (288 Aspiras–Ben Palispis Highway).

Another reason to go to Summer Pines Residences? The Hive Bar, which calls itself “the biggest and loudest drag bar in Baguio City.” “Please support the drag queens, I love the drag queens so much,” said Soriano.

There’s also Planet G Music Box, a drag bar that has launched many drag careers.

Baguio queen Deja, the winner of “Drag Den” Season 2 and known as Queen of the North, has graced both stages, of course. “She’s a superstar,” Soriano said.

Soriano told us about another place. “There’s a phone booth on Legarda—you go into the phone booth and it will lead you to the bar.”

Queens at Baguio’s first drag brunch, a Northern Luzon Pride event held at Canto Bogchi Joint. —Nina Soriano

It’s called Hotline (Palace Avenue, Legarda Road), a bar with resident DJs to get the party going. The Ampersand (30 Leonard Wood Road, The Camp Building, Cabinet Hill, Teacher’s Camp) is another place people go to party—”It’s one of the older clubs, it’s been around for a while,” said Soriano.

But clubs aren’t really Soriano’s scene. She’d rather go to places like Hygge Cafe (3 Amparo Drive corner Kennon Road, Camp 7 and Assumption Road), described as “libraries masquerading as cafés” by the people behind it.

Soriano said, “I like the Camp 7 branch more because of its atmosphere. Dude, I swear, student prices lahat doon. I love hot chocolate and their hot chocolate is just P85 and they have big S’mores.”

Baguio, hot chocolate, and S’mores? Sounds perfect.