Postponement Galore: How Habagat Brought an "Artificial" Event Drought to Luzon
Despite August being the busiest month this 2026 for events in the country based on Kuhaku Media’s event calendar, multiple events have postponed and eventually cancelled their events due to inclement weather and flooding due to Habagat-induced rains in Luzon.
Last August 30, nine out of 32 events to happen in Luzon were postponed with two cancelling their events (Anime Fair in Nuvali, Laguna and Recollex in Caloocan City and another two simply cancelling partially, turning their two-day events into single day ones (Komiket Fullybook in Taguig and Jumino Island in Vermosa, Cavite altogether).
The sudden cancellations caused disruptions to attendees, artists, and organizers, resulting in adjustments in scheduled routines and plans.
Representatives from multiple organizers shared the factors considered on postponing their events for the safety of its attendees.
In an interview with StickerCon MNL representative Grace Marcellana, she pondered on weather conditions and hotel accommodations booked prior to the event.
“I think it can understandably seem straightforward at first: if the weather is bad, just cancel the event. And if conditions are unsafe, that may absolutely be what needs to happen. The complicated part is everything attached to that decision. You have exhibitors who may already be travelling or have paid for accommodations, suppliers who have already prepared, venue arrangements and payments to sort out, staff to coordinate, and an audience waiting for clear information. Some exhibitors may even already be at or near the venue by the time the decision is made, she cited.”
Marcellana added that the logistics and the human angle are a complicated matter, weighing the conversations on possible penalties and rescheduling agreements
Stickercon MNL's postponed ‘Gacha Universe: Second Pull’ art market and is to be rescheduled to October 10-11, 2026.
Two more events, ‘Thieves Den’s Persona Ultramarine’ fan gathering and ‘Umazing Events PH’s Natsu no Derby’, originally set to happen on August 30, released a statement.
“There’s a lot of people messaging us on our page since and some of our artists mentioning that they might make it [to the event] because of the flood. we’ve only been notified by our sound system [supplier] that’s from Rizal that they too have been flooded. With that, we’ve made a change and instead of continuing and pushing forward, we decided to postpone the event, Umazing Events Organizer Ed Rosete mentioned.”
“It was quite embarrassing to postpone it until the last minute, as much as we wanted to announce it earlier, especially for those that came from Baguio and Bicol that only knew about the postponement during their trips. Another thing is the logistics since most of the venue has security deposits, and as a non profit we take no money from the attendees so a lot of the decorations and other materials for these events comes from our pockets. Lastly, these postponements give us concerns on the availability of attendees, media partners, sponsors, and the venue itself, told by Thieves Den organizer Mira.”
The three organizers shared similar sentiments on sacrifices and scheduling mishaps behind events management. For them, postponements come as a final decision after multiple considerations on logistics and financial matters.
In an interview, Kuhaku Media gathered the sentiments of suppliers and artists involved in the procurement of events.
For Nico Guarte, of gaming hub ‘MX Gaming Grounds’,, he believed that organizers have a right to decide to call off events based on several factors involved behind the scenes including partnerships, procurement of supplies, and the relationship between organizers and stakeholders.
Another concessionaire, Likarte, a full-time artist, relies on art markets and events thus cancellations or postponements cause financial strain given the preparations done prior to the event. However, they acknowledge the last minute postponement while considering the organizers deciding during urgent moments.
For artists, suppliers, and organizers, they see that postponements are viable in times of weather-induced emergencies such as flooding, heavy rainfall. However, they also consider the possibility of people’s willingness to attend the event even in inclement weather.However, these suspensions not only cause burden to attendees of such events but also those that act behind it, as most local organizers in the country act as non-profits and serve the community with each postponement affecting them more than others.
On August 8-9, the 2026 Ozine Tanabata festival saw varied attendance due to continued light to heavy rain throughout the event weekend. The event continued and the crowd participated in their two-day event Despite lower attendances, the event continued.
For the organizers the response remained positive despite last minute announcements with a majority thanking the organizers for taking in consideration of both the sales of the artists and the safety of its stakeholders.
“Good call, The weather conditions aren't ideal for everyone. Im sure if it pushes thru, the event will show low attendance and artists won't be able to breakeven, a comment from Stickercon’s Postponement mentioned ”
‘Tbh, I don't blame you guys. This weather has been bugging me for a while now but even if it's very heavy I would still go. But overall I'm still glad you decided to reschedule instead of pushing the event in harsh weather. I'll be waiting for the next announcement ❤❤, a comment from Umazing Event’s Postponement on Facebook.”
All three events have rescheduled their events to later dates with both Thieves Den and Umazing Events coinciding on September 12 and 13 Stickercon MNL moved their Gacha Universe event in October.
Interviews Collected by: Raine Zaldivar, Gabriel Duldulao, Charlene Joy Sta Maria
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