The first-ever AndFriends (&FRIENDS) Festival by Clout Kitchen kicked off last weekend at the prestigious five-star Okada Manila hotel in Parañaque City, Philippines. With over 60 music and content superstars across two days, AndFriends Festival 2025 created the most fantastic venue full of vibrant creators. From the EDM enthusiasts to the OPM enjoyers, and all the classic hobbies and modern pop cultures in between, the festival was every fan’s creative, fun, and chaotic playground. It was held on May 30-31, 2025.
Set against the backdrop of Manila’s buzzing scene, &FRIENDS Festival is an all-encompassing event that, by day, dives into interactive panels and activities, and by night, transforms into an electrifying rave party highlighting the EDM anthems that shaped our generation. The headliners for music night featured Zedd, ILLENIUM, bbno$, and many more. Here, the Cove was lit up with laser lights and an energized crowd (in all remarkable rave fashion) that truly gave Manila the EDM festival it has long deserved.
Of course, the expo at the Crystal Pavilion had its own set of core memories to offer. With a wide range of creators from everywhere and in between, the &FRIENDS expo turned out to be a unique experience to remember.
A Celebration of Pop-Culture, Creators, and More
At first glance, the expo was brimming with vibrant energy, all thanks to the booming music, flashing lights, and exciting booths that filled the venue from end to end. The atmosphere felt bright — courtesy of Okada’s Crystal Pavilion, known for its beautiful and clear glass ceilings, allowing natural light perfect for great pictures and a fresh ambiance. The venue also opened at 12 NN until 11 PM, which was something I actually found very comfortable and laid-back. The place was already fancy, and the people who came in were even more good-looking with their dress-to-impress OOTDs and sparkly make-up. Most of all, the air conditioning was the best!
The event follows a very long and wide pathway, so it was quite easy to navigate around. The artist alley is spread across the venue, together with the two DJ stages. And then there were distinguished booths, like Red Monster’s Gashapons, Gank’s Photobooths, Tito Steef’s Arcade (the Just Dance hype!), Chips’ Delight and their fun human crane games, Havaianas ( and their hilarious take on our traditional Tumbang Preso), Dong Feng’s fancy car exhibit, Aezer’s Hoyoverse merchandise, and the exciting MPL S15 Watch Party. The gorgeous TTRacing Gaming Chairs were also noticeable around the Creator Stage, where a lot of the exciting panels took place.
Funnily enough, my most memorable experiences at AndFriends expo are the booths a bit unrelated to the event, but arguably, the most eye-catching ones for foodie and book lover introverts like me. They are Bookhive, a bookstore with manila paper-wrapped books (so you don’t judge a book by its cover), and Extra Butter PH, a cozy bakeshop with the most delightful and heavenly cookies. There was also Books & Records from the Streets that sold both new and old vinyl records, and Hapi Manga Store, a small corner of manga, anime, and art books.
One of the best things about the expo is the depth of interactions and experiences here. From light-hearted greetings to finding new and old connections, to discovering timely inspirations.
As an event highlighting content creators (most of whom I feel honored to call my friends), it was evident that AndFriends Festival 2025 was the place to be. Every corner of the event featured a content creator in their own respective areas of expertise. There were gaming personalities, comic artists, illustrators, cosplayers, TikTok celebrities, and many more. These are the people leading the charge in our small communities in the Philippines.
It’s overall an exciting, fulfilling, and good feeling to see all of them up close. It makes the community feel more close-knit. The fact that these personalities can casually and comfortably roam around says a lot about how pleasant the event is. It’s sufficient to say that AndFriends Festival 2025 lives up to its name of bringing people and communities together.
AndFriends Festival 2025 Gallery
Unlike other venues with wacky lighting and settings, Okada’s architecture and the Crystal Pavilion’s glass wall and ceiling gave the best vibes! Check out the pictures that I took of everyone I came across at AndFriends Festival 2025:
And that’s all for our coverage of AndFriends Festival 2025 at Okada Manila. Make sure to follow the AndFriends Festival official social media channels for more updates on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter).
Special thanks to everyone at &FRIENDS and Clout Kitchen for having us at AndFriends Festival 2025.
Anime Corner is a media partner for &FRIENDS Festival 2025
Participate In Discussions