Cultivating camaraderie, this year’s Ateneo UFest: Kislap gathered nine clusters, fostering solidarity across the Ateneo community.

The festivities opened with the Grand Parade, where the nine clusters marched from Rizal Park to the University’s Martin Hall, displaying their distinct colors and banners.

UFest 2026 overall event head and SAMAHAN Secretary-General Rana Nicole Guerra explained that KISLAP draws on the idea of individual sparks coming together to light up the Ateneo community.

“For me, Kislap: Lighting up the blue skies was a symbol of all brilliant individuals coming together. Each individual has their own spark, but when they come together, their collective brilliance lights up the blue skies, with the blue skies symbolizing the Ateneo community.”

Guerra also emphasized that Kislap builds on previous UFest themes while giving greater attention to the participants and the people working behind the scenes.

“Previous UFest themes have had their own identities and messages. Rather than making it ‘different,’ we wanted KISLAP to build on that. This year, we wanted to highlight the idea that UFest isn’t only about the big performances, competitions, or spectacles. It’s also about the people participating and the people behind the scenes…”

However, bringing together different clusters also came with its share of challenges. Guerra cited reconciling differences among participants and addressing lapses in the preparations as some of the most difficult parts of organizing the event.

“Perhaps the biggest challenge for me was ultimately situations where we had to come to common ground with everyone. There have been instances with the participating clusters that led to opposing opinions. There has been a lapse as well from our end that has led to that, and while trying to make a resolution, it was hard to come to a conclusion that was amenable to everyone.”

Hiyawan celebrates cluster pride and collective creativity 

After the parade, Hiyawan, a non-competitive dance-and-yell activity, energized the crowd with spirited chants and dynamic choreography, igniting enthusiasm and strengthening the sense of solidarity.

Engineering and Architecture Student Executive Council (EASEC) Assistant Secretary-General and Hiyawan performer Cymon Will Castillo highlighted the crowd’s energy and participation as the core element of the segment’s success. 

“What I can say stood out to me the most [about Hiyawan] was definitely the crowd… It’s the people who watched it… Because the purpose of Hiyawan is to showcase how your cluster would be lively in front of the audience.”

Castillo noted that the crowd’s cheers and presence elevated their execution, cementing their standing as the Liveliest Cluster during the activity. 

“When the whole of Martin Hall was chanting for us, that moment really made me believe more in myself that we could give it our all… And without the support of the people, from the chance, the enthusiasm that was given, I can really say that the performance that we could have done, that we did rather, would not be so lively without them.”

The festivities continued with Bandera, featuring banners showcasing each cluster’s creativity, followed by Galanté, a dancesport competition that capped the opening day.

The opening ceremony for Kislap: The Ateneo UFest 2026 took place at 4F Martin Hall on October 14.