Known as the “City of Firsts,” Araneta City continues its cherished Christmas traditions with a series of events designed to bring families, friends, and communities together, while enhancing the holiday atmosphere across its malls and public spaces.

Adjusted Mall Hours for the Holiday Season

In compliance with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s traffic-mitigation measures for the Christmas period, Araneta City has adjusted the operating hours of Ali Mall, Farmers Plaza, Gateway Mall 1, and Gateway Mall 2.
Restaurants across these malls will remain open until 11:00 PM every Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and holiday to accommodate the increased number of shoppers and diners.

Parolan: The Ultimate Holiday Décor Bazaar

Shoppers looking to adorn their homes for the season can visit Parolan at the Expo Centro Parking area on Gen. MacArthur Avenue, across Farmers Market. Open from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Parolan offers an extensive selection of Yuletide decorations, including giant lanterns crafted from local materials, sparkling garlands, Christmas lights, colorful ornaments, and other festive décor essentials.

Araneta City Christmas Activities

Araneta City has lined up a variety of free and family-friendly holiday attractions:

• Fireworks Display
Every Friday to Sunday at 7:00 PM
A spectacular fireworks showcase lights up the skies, adding color and excitement to weekend nights.

• Santa & Friends Meet and Greet
All Sundays of November
December 7, 14, 21, 22, 23, 24 & 25
Kids and families can meet Santa and his holiday friends across multiple Araneta City malls.

• 4:00 PM: Farmers Plaza Activity Area, Gateway Mall 1 Activity Area
• 5:30 PM: Ali Mall Activity Area, Gateway Mall 2 Quantum Skyview

• Giant Christmas Tree Display
Green Gate, Smart Araneta Coliseum
November 15 – December 28, 2025, and January 1, 2026
Open from 6:00 PM to 12:00 MN
Visitors can marvel at the iconic giant Christmas tree, which continues to be a centerpiece of Metro Manila’s holiday celebrations.

A Brighter and Merrier Season at the City of Firsts

With its combination of beloved traditions, new attractions, and festive shopping experiences, Araneta City once again stands as one of the premier holiday destinations in Metro Manila. Families, shoppers, and visitors are invited to experience the joy, color, and warmth of the season through the City of Firsts’ extensive Christmas offerings.

The P5-billion expansion of the multi-awarded Gateway Mall promises to revolutionize the modern urban experience in the metro. This development extends Araneta City’s flagship mall to more than 200,000 sq.m. of additional choices for shopping, dining, entertainment, and leisure spread over the multilevel mall.

The New Gateway Mall 2 introduces a comprehensive array of over 400 brands, offering the latest concepts in fashion, technology, gaming, entertainment, leisure, health, and wellness. Now open are brands such as Anta, Converse, Puma, and Skechers, with more brands continuing to open. 

Mallgoers can also indulge in a plethora of culinary delights, making it a must-go destination for food enthusiasts. With about 150 restaurants and food outlets, the New Gateway Mall 2 is designed to be an adventure for food lovers. Dedicated zones such as the Restaurant Collection, Coliseum Plaza, and Palenque by Claude Tayag will highlight some of the best dining choices and sought-after food brands such as a mano, Mamou, Grace Park, Wolfgang’s Steakhouse, Shake Shack, Abe, Tung Lok Seafood, Manam, Boteyju, Burgoo, Classic Savory, Vikings, Tim Ho Wan, and a lot more.

“Opening the New Gateway Mall 2 reinforces Araneta City’s commitment to its pioneering legacy in commercial development,” Rowell Recinto, Chairman of the Management Committee said. “The New Gateway Mall 2 is truly a mall like no other, and we want to give our patrons memorable and gratifying experiences here at the City of Firsts.”

The contemporary architecture of glass and steel gives way to an inviting urban oasis inside that features two gardens — the Sensory Garden, and the Culinary Garden — and The Lagoon, which offers a relaxing ambiance for mallgoers.

On top of the mall is the 1,000-capacity Sagrada Familia Church with a design uniqueness inspired by a mitre, the traditional headwear worn by Bishops. Additional cues are provided by The Oculus in Manhattan, New York City with the all-white structure that features a high ceiling, glass panels, and stained glass windows that invite natural light for a soothing and calming ambiance.

Another highlight is the 700-square-meter Quantum Skyview, an activity area that features the country’s first ceiling-mounted LED display that offers a captivating visual experience like no other. With its central location, the Quantum Skyview offers unique possibilities to any event in the area. Recent activities such as pre-concert Korean pop (KPOP) fan meetings, book launch, and the 2023 PPOP Manila Convention were able to offer an experience not available elsewhere and such can be replicated in public events, product launches, and other activations.

The New Gateway Mall 2 is also home to Shopwise International Grocery Shopping, a non-membership grocery with an impressive selection of international brands. Also opening soon are Paeng’s Gateway Bowl for sports enthusiasts, and the Pop District Center, a first in the Philippines, which will provide an in-mall venue for everything and anything pop culture. 

More food brands, retail outlets, and mall attractions are expected to open at the New Gateway Mall 2 before the end of 2023.

This new mall completes Araneta City’s Gateway Square, a 400,000-square-meter mixed-use superblock that includes the Gateway Malls, Gateway Office, Gateway Tower, Novotel Manila Araneta City, Smart Araneta Coliseum, Parking Garage South Building, and the soon-to-open Ibis Styles Manila Araneta City.

“The New Gateway Mall 2 is part of Araneta Group’s plan to build a community that delivers a unique live-work-play experience. It serves as a foundational connection to other properties in the Gateway Square and ultimately, in Araneta City, offering opportunities for an experience that can be personalized in a contemporary environment,” Recinto said.

Aside from the New Gateway Mall 2, other developments continue to rise in Araneta City including Cyberpark 3, the latest office building at the 8-hectare Cyberpark development, and ibis Styles Manila, the first ibis Styles branded hotel by international hospitality company Accor in the Philippines.

Show your support to our very own Gilas Pilipinas as they battle out with the world’s best and most competitive basketball teams. Catch their much-awaited matches at the FIBA preliminary rounds on August 27 and 29 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Tickets are available at ticketnet.com.ph.

Get your game face on for our beloved team with the help of some Gilas Pilipinas-inspired face paint! Head over to the face painting booth at the Gateway Mall activity area on August 27 and 29 and get your FREE face paint in time for the Gilas Pilipinas matches.

Wear your Pinoy pride with the hottest Gilas Pilipinas apparel. Grab the latest official t-shirts, jerseys, and other merchandise that you can wear during games or take home as a valued souvenir. You can check out at the Gilas Pilipinas merchandise booth at the Gateway Mall activity area from August 26 to 30.

Join the fun and enjoy a spectacular view of the Gilas Pilipinas games, as well as other FIBA matches happening in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan, all at Araneta City! Be at the Quantum Skyview of the New Gateway Mall 2 from August 27 onwards and take part in Cignal TV’s special FREE watch party for an exclusively unique FIBA adventure.

FIBA spectators may enjoy good meals before or after the games at newly-opened food choices at the New Gateway Mall 2. Nearby choices for diners include restaurants and food stores at the mall’s Coliseum Plaza (Manam, Nono’s, Shake Shack), Restaurant Collection (Botejyu, Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory, Abe, Starbucks, a mano, Grace Park), Quantum Skyview (Classic Savory, Burgoo), and Gateway Link (BLK 513, Caramia, Dairy Queen, Llao Llao, Pizza Hut, Subway), as well as Wolfgang’s Steakhouse and Dunkin’ Bev.

Spacious parking is available at the Parking Garage South Building and at basement levels of Gateway Mall and the New Gateway Mall 2, all conveniently linked to the Big Dome for better access and comfort.Be part of sports history and enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime FIBA experience like no other only at the City of Firsts!

The Smart Araneta Coliseum expects a full house as it hosts the World Cup’s preliminary round of basketball matches for Groups A and B starting August 26. Gilas Pilipinas will face Angola, Dominican Republic, and Italy in Group A, while China, Puerto Rico, South Sudan, and Serbia will battle out in Group B.

The iconic Coliseum underwent upgrades and improvements to give FIBA players and live audiences an experience like no other at the historic entertainment venue. Audience seats have been refurbished, and additional snack booths will open to serve the spectators. Apart from the Green and Red Gates, the new coliseum entrance at the upper ground floor of the New Gateway Mall 2 will also be open to accommodate the expected crowd.

For the FIBA players, dugout rooms were renovated for more convenience and comfort.

The court’s basketball flooring, backboard, rims, and shot clock have been replaced in time for the global basketball event. Also, the coliseum now features a new and bigger LED scoreboard cube to give a larger-than-life view of on-court action and updates.

A dedicated media working area is also allocated near the coliseum’s Red Gate to accommodate local and foreign journalists who will cover the highly-anticipated sports event.

The Araneta Group management is in constant coordination with the Quezon City LGU and the FIBA Local Organizing Committee for the smooth conduct of this year’s FIBA basketball games.

“Hosting the FIBA Basketball World Cup is a momentous highlight for us and for the country this 2023. We are making all the necessary adjustments and improvements to make this once-in-a-lifetime event memorable for all players and audiences at the City of Firsts,” Irene Jose, COO of Uniprom Inc. (the entertainment arm of Araneta Group), said.

This is the second time that the Big Dome will host the FIBA World Cup. The original mecca of sports and entertainment in the Philippines was the venue of the 1978 semifinal games, and the championship game where Yugoslavia prevailed over then defending champ Soviet Union.

The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 preliminary round games of Groups A and B at the Smart Araneta Coliseum will happen from August 26 to September 3. Tickets are available at ticketnet.com.ph.

Concrete pouring ceremony signals resumption of sustained development

When the pandemic made the whole world stand still for three years, the construction industry had to stop as inevitable to ensure everyone’s safety and at the same time let the cloud of uncertainty settle.

Now that the world has opened up, construction across the world gets back to business as usual. For the “City of Firsts”, this is a harbinger to resume their projects in the pipeline and that includes the impressive fully integrated P20-billion Cyberpark development.

To jumpstart the resumption, a ceremonial first concrete pouring at Cyberpark 3 was held on February 6.

Cyberpark 3 is the third office building to rise in Araneta City’s 8-hectare Cyberpark Office district. It will be a 30-storey office building that features state-of-the-art facilities including a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

This property will have 27 levels of office spaces, three basement parking levels, and two floors of retail space in its podium. It will have large floor plates (typically 2,500 square meters), floor-to-ceiling windows, and top-of-the-line facilities which include, among others, a Smart Elevator System.

Gracing the ceremony were executives and employees of the Araneta Group, and the Binibining Pilipinas 2022 queens. Also present were partners from DATEM Inc, the contractor of choice for Cyberpark 3, and JLL Philippines, the Araneta Group’s strategic real estate advisor.  

Cyberpark 3 is the latest addition to Araneta City’s master-planned community that already includes residential, office, hospitality, and retail developments. This office tower will house retail spaces in its podium. It is accessible to other key landmarks in the City of Firsts – entertainment venues like the Smart Araneta Coliseum, retail centers like Farmers Plaza, Ali Mall and the soon-to-open Gateway Mall 2, hotels like Novotel Manila and the upcoming ibis Styles Hotel, and the Manhattan Gardens residential towers.

It straddles the crossroads of EDSA, Aurora Blvd, and P. Tuazon St., giving easy access from anywhere in Metro Manila. Cyberpark 3, as with the whole Araneta City, has access to multimodal transport like the MRT, LRT, buses, commuter vans, and jeepneys.

“Cyberpark 3 is our latest solution to the need of companies and locators looking for options. Once completed, it will serve as a suitable, even superior, alternative to office spaces in the usual CBDs,” Rowell Recinto, Senior Management Consultant of the Araneta Group, said.

Like its two predecessors, Cyberpark 1 and 2, this new office building highlights green initiatives and renewable energy solutions and will carry a LEED certification. It will feature energy-efficient double-glazed windows and a rainwater collection system, among others.

“We will continue to introduce environmentally impactful design features and specifications in our Cyberpark construction. This serves as Araneta Group’s commitment towards environmentally responsible developments,” Recinto said.

A PEZA-registered IT Zone, the Cyberpark Complex is projected to have five towers with a combined floor area of over 500,000 square meters. Two towers have been completed – Cyberpark 1 which opened in 2016, and Cyberpark 2 which opened in 2018.

Cyberpark 3 is expected to be completed by first quarter of 2025.

BY THE NUMBERS:

• Construction Floor Area: 4,300 square meters (est.)
• Gross Floor Area: 91,000 square meters (est.)
• Levels: 30 levels including 3 basement parking levels
• Project Cost: P4 billion (est.)
• Target Completion: First quarter of 2025