Cheap Thrills For Dabawenyos At The Newest Carnival In Town

Davao City may be one of the most livable cities in Asia but it lacks family entertainment facilities like the Enchanted Kingdom in Laguna or the Star City in Manila. I am not sure why, despite the prevailing peace and order in the city and the economic boom in the city, an investor has yet to invest in a family entertainment facility in the city.

It is thus not surprising that Dabawenyos are thrilled with the newest, albeit temporary, entertainment facility in Davao. The Carnival right in front of the NCCC Mall has always been filled with people since the first day of its operations. And why not when the whole family can enjoy themselves havign simple fun at reasonable costs.

Entrance to the carnival is at P10 for both kids and adults while each ride costs P15 (whether you are a kid or adult). There are food stalls inside the carnival if you get thirsty or hungry from all the shouting you have to do.

The most in-demand rides are the Roller Coaster (not so high but since it is rarely found in Davao then it's a certified hit among those who want to pay for scaring themselves silly!) and the Scramble (and I did not dare find out why it got its name!). However, you will also have fun with the kids at the Flying Elephant, Amores and the Ferris Wheel. The Horror Ride is a fluke though. Nothing scary there really. In fact, I think the ghosts were more scared of scaring me so they didn't bother at all.

One thing though, someone from City Hall should remind the Carnival operator that Davao City has very strict non-smoking laws. There are kids all over the place (not to mention asthmatics) but the people operating the machines were like part of a whole tribe of Tikbalang who were smoking left and right.