By Alex Lauricio

Branded as Elesina, the return of the Ateneo Senior High School (ASHS) fair from its pandemic hiatus brings about a new set of attractions, ranging from new rides such as the Velocity Swing, down to the activities that feature a uniquely-student touch courtesy of various ASHS organizations—many of whom have planned booths in preparation for Elesina. From karaoke to marriage booths, Elesina’s lineup of festivities are plenty and worth a peek!

School fairs are a tradition across the country—such as the recently concluded Assumption Antipolo’s Sikat. With the days-long celebration features rides, booths, and concerts with local and national talents, Elesina is no different—offering its own plethora of attractions for fairgoers. 

A line-up of performances, ranging from school dance troupes such as Poveda Enciende, De La Salle’s Animove, and our very own Indayog ng Kabataan (IndaK), as well as national talents and artists, are set to showcase their talents in Elesina.

Big names such as Maki and Lola Amour are going to make their ASHS debut on the second day of fair, lovingly called “Mahika,” whereas the student-centered first day, “Transcendent” will offer more student performances as well as those from bands all over the country.

Notably, two rides are present at Elesina—the Velocity Swing and Vikings. Both offer different ways of de-stressing yourself after an academic week. Whether you want to feel the wind brush against your hair in the Velocity Swing, or feel a rushing thrill with every sway of the Vikings, you’ll surely find a place to wind down and relax in the fair—especially in some of the student-operated org booths.

AlunSing Na!

Alunsina’s karaoke will finally be back for another round—this time, only momentarily. Alunsina is the Sandigan responsible for the promotion of Filipino culture and tradition throughout the ASHS—and much like their Buwan ng Wika karaoke debut, this booth aims to spotlight an iconic Filipino hobby during the fair.

Whether it’s in dedicated videoke rooms in malls, or your local Timezone’s karaoke set-up, karaoke has been a very popular pastime in the country, and for the first-timers out there, now it’s your chance to warm up to a bigger audience.

Your Points-In-Time (Po-In-Ts)

More colloquially known as the marriage booth, these booths have been a longstanding tradition across many fair cultures in the country. Presented by ASHS Grafiction, Zoom Photography, and Pugad Literary Folio, you can have the opportunity to take a picture with your special someone—of course, this isn’t limited to what the booth suggests (like the crush you’ve been pining after), but you can also take a picture with a friend or a group!

The booth’s unique name comes from the act of taking pictures, because you are quite literally taking a “point in time” with someone special.

Presyong Preso

If there’s anything as iconic as a marriage booth, then it’s going to be its less wholesome counterpart—the jail booth. A collaboration between the Media and Creative Arts District (MCAD) and Analysis and Discourse District (ADD), fairgoers will have the opportunity to hide or be caught by the police, which are simply the students running the booths.

You can remember your own school’s iteration of these jail booths—from being caught with or by your crush, or being tied together by a piece of cloth. Rest assured, you can always try to reinvent that here in the ASHS… or not.

World Mysteries

A district-wide collaboration, the Intercultural Relations District (IRD) will hold an escape room-themed booth. From solving puzzles and deciphering codes scribbled across the room, participants have to go through different problems in order to escape from four different country-themed rooms.

Because IRD is composed of organizations that represent different cultures around the world, the escape room is themed around the cultures of different countries—ranging from Japanese, Korean, French, and Chinese stories and myths.

Bingo

Bingo fans, rejoice! If you were ever a fan of the Ligaya Duffey-Delaney Day Fundraiser, then you would remember that they also conducted a night-long Bingo event with various prizes attended by students and parents alike. Now, Elesina presents us with a similar event: Tataya. 10 rounds of bingo, with various prizes, will be presented. Each bingo card costs 50 pesos.

A photo booth, Kisapmata, is also present, hailing from the Grade 11 Batch Project Committee. While this is mostly for prom, they offer their services for all fairgoers.

*Note that this list of booths is non-exhaustive, and there are many more booths out there in store for you.

Elesina’s comeback offers us a glimpse into the fair culture of ASHS—possibly setting the stage up for future fairs and events. Students need not venture far to experience one of the best fair experiences—Elesina.