Shoe making is one of the major industries of the Philippines. Shoes locally made are exported in Italy, France, United States and other parts of the world.
The major shoe maker in the country is Marikina City, dubbed as the country's Shoe Capital. Marikina is one of the fastest growing metropolitan haven, just a 20 minute ride from the famous Antipolo City, 10 minutes from Ortigas business district and 30 minutes ride from Makati and Manila.
Annually, the city holds what they call the grandest Shoe Festival in the world. The festival is held on the famous Marikina River, a super long river that cuts the city. The festival is participated by different towns and even different countries. Last year, the festival attracted China, Thailand and Australian delegates.
The only criteria for the festival is that you have to make a colorful float that will run for the duration of the river ride and in the middle of the float is your giant shoe entry, yes, a giant shoe. This is exactly the festival for Cinderella wannabes!
There are a lot of different types of shoes that joins the festival each year. Some are giant boots, high heels, running shoes, formal safety shoes, sandals and others. The winner of last years festival was the one in the photo, titled Cinderella's Golden Giant Shoe. The festival is held every September and last for a week.
Marikina also holds the Guinness World Record for having the biggest all-sho-material shoe. There are bigger shoes in the world but they are made of concrete, wood, and other not-for-shoe materials. But the one in Maikina was manually stitched from leather and wood soles. The giant shoe is made with love from the greatest shoe makers in the world.
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