Summer is about to end and I didn't even get to enjoy a good tan and a whole lot of fun.

Which makes me sad because I knew there were fun and affordable activities to experience this summer without having to leave Davao. That's thanks to the Department of Tourism initiative: Visit Davao Summer Festival. 

VDSF happens just once a year so you've to be on the lookout when they kickoff in April of each year. Visit Davao Summer Festival (which was formerly known Visit Davao Fun Sale) hosts events you can participate in starting in April all they way up til June. 

For me, what makes their events special is they're not the usual getaway. You get to experience nature, interact with new people and, if you're lucky, win prizes.

I got invited to join Visit Davao's media launch in April where they laid out every offer they have for 2018 to keep tourists and locals entertained here in the region.

Here's where the sad and unfortunate part gets in though...

I wanted so bad to get to all of my favorite events but life got in the way. And by life, I meant the whole entrepreneurship thing which I started in February. See post here. I am pretty much still building my business, so I had to decline most of the events.

Even so, I'm wistful for missing out on VDSF events that I decided to compile all of the activities I had planned joining back in April. This lessens the sadness a bit because imagining what it would have felt like to be there makes me look forward planning my days way ahead of time next year...to make sure I do not miss out on any of their events again. Mental reminder, on.

That said, here's my top 5 favorite and unusual things to do in Davao during the summer from VDSF's roster of activities:

1. Live Painting Session with Beauty Queens

- Dabawenya Alla Prima, held last April 20, 2018, allowed attendees to join Mutya and Hiyas beauty queens in a live painting session. I wouldn't mind rubbing elbows with beautiful ladies, would you?

2. Tempra's Battle of the Strongest

Smokin' bodies in one place, with representation from countries in Asia, is there really any more reason to not go and join or even just watch this? My blogger friend even won a 10-session access to Crossfit Madayaw! Yep, one of those events where audiences can actually win prizes.

3. Festival Dive Fest and Climb Caravan
Go see high and deep.

I LOVE this tagline. This is probably one of the things you must give a go if you're looking for something new and exciting to do. I mean, have you seen the photos?

If you like your hikes and aquatic life, these events are the must-join. They still have the Haguimitan and Mt. Apo climb coming in the next few days. Message me if you want in. (You have to have climbed before for me to recommend you, though.:)

4. Summer Sayaw sa Isla (Mardi Gras)

Luckily, I had my deadlines met that week of May when this happened. So I got to join a few of my DDI teammates to Samal to enjoy this first ever Mardi Gras-like festival. Read about how that went for me in this post here.

5. Dragonboat Festival

This happened just this weekend and I was there. Yay! Truly inspiring how these teams from all over Mindanao, of all ages and all walks of life come together and work single-mindedly to grab that coveted trophy. Read about my Dragonboat Festival experience here.

Most of the adventures and tour packages have their own pages so you get to pick which ones to follow and keep on your feed for updates. Contact numbers are also available so you can reach them to schedule a tour or join an activity. Make sure you visit and like Visit Davao's page to make sure you're always on the loop. And you won't be missing out on anything the next time they roll out their events (that's more of a "note to self). 

That said, which of these events are you more inclined to join? 

We've only a few days left of Visit Davao Summer Festival and if you're interested to know which ones you can catch before the rainy season starts, check out this poster: