By Lia Atienza, AJ Alarcon, Solei Velasquez

On Saturday, January 31, the Ateneo Senior High School (ASHS) closed the fairgrounds of Fair 2026 themed “Siklo: When Light Returns” with the Battle of the Bands (BOTB), MuSiklo, and a fundraising concert, Haliya.

The Music Industry Organization (MIO) and Fair Committee Mini Events Department held the BOTB, featuring Turnout, Rubberbands, Deep Sea Pizza, Her Lilies, Mad About Madeline, STICKER HAPPY, Entropy, IGNACIA, JIVE, and Smijetz, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Smijetz placed third, Her Lilies placed second, and Turnout was declared champion, earning the opportunity to be the opening act for Haliya.

Turnout’s Raj Aquino admitted, “When I heard the other bands, I thought to myself, ‘Oh no, there’s no chance that we’re gonna win against this band,’” and added that the win felt overwhelming.

Fellow member Cyril Yap said that many bands brought different strengths to the stage, but he added, “Maybe, the way we performed kinda felt like we’re just a big group of friends that like to make good music with each other. I think that may have struck a note with the judges.”

Mico Zurbito from the same band said they prepared by increasing their practice time despite their packed schedules and by focusing on their mental readiness, choosing to concentrate on their own performance rather than compare themselves to competitors.

Opening for the concert, Yap described it as a full-circle moment as seniors performing in their last fair, while Zurbito said he felt grateful for the opportunity to play before their largest crowd yet.

Meanwhile, Mini Events Department Head JC Yap shared that the results of the mini events were “enjoyable despite being chaotic.”

Furthermore, she stated, “We really took a lot of risks compared to the previous fair years. Our main goal was to help encourage more fairgoers to participate and to attend these booths and watch the MIO events.”

Yap, who was also the department’s co-head last school year (SY), shared that the preparation for the mini events for Siklo was different from that of last year’s fair, Tadhana.

“Being able to coordinate with so many students, so many Sanggunian officers, and of course, as well as MIO, was really special,” Yap said.

“Despite ‘mini’ events being in our name, we are still big enough to touch the hearts of the people,” she added.

Haliya: Fundraising Concert

Hosted by DJ Ella and DJ Ozzie from MYX Global, the concert opened with BOTB winner Turnout covering “2 Trick Pony” by Sandwich and “Uhaw” by Dilaw, among others.

Soon followed Loafers performing their original songs “Iridescence,” “Lilim,” and “Luha,” as well as covers of songs by Rob Deniel and others.

After which, more original Pinoy music (OPM) artists performed, such as The Vowels They Orbit, Janine Teñoso, Hey June!, and The Ridleys.

Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) alumni and band Over October also performed their most recent singles “Dahan” and “Moved on Last” with guest artist Angela Ken, as well as their hit songs “123” and “Ikot.”

Lastly, headlining artist, also ADMU alumni, Apo Hiking Society wrapped up the concert, performing their hit songs, including “Yakap Sa Dilim,” “Ewan,” and “Batang Bata Ka Pa.”

The band also showcased a medley of classic kundiman songs rearranged to fit the modern sound of today’s music, wanting to bridge the gap between generations of the art.

Before the night ended, the Fair Committee prepared a fireworks display, followed by Apo Hiking Society’s final performance of their iconic song, “Panalangin,” to conclude the concert.

“We really wanted Siklo to be a fair na maalala,” Fair Committee Overall Head Neo Monterola stated.

“We wanted to do a lot. We had new ideas. But we also had to find ways on how to get those ideas to come to life. Parang ang daming beses na bumagsak kami. And we always found a way through,” he shared, likening the committee’s preparations to a cycle.

With a lot of milestones to celebrate this SY, such as the 10th year of the ASHS, Monterola said that they used the mental pressure to make aspects of the event better.

He stated, “It’s one to celebrate special things, but it’s another to make them extra special.”

Coinciding with the President’s Day the Monday after Fair, February 2, the ASHS will observe an annual Fair Holiday, and classes are set to resume by Tuesday, February 3.