Things to Do in BGC: A Day in Bonifacio Global City

Morning on Bonifacio High Street

Start with coffee at Single Origin, open 7am to midnight daily, with all-day brunch, sandwiches, pizza and wifi. The BGC branch lets dogs sit with you in the al fresco area.

For pastry, KIJI Bakehouse opens at 7am every day on the ground floor of Verve Residences One on 26th Street. On a weekend, go early, take your croissant to go and eat it walking.

Then walk High Street Park, the green spine down the middle of Bonifacio High Street, with seating and art installations along the way. It is calmest before the shops open and the heat builds. For a table and a socket, see quiet cafes to work in BGC; for a long weekend meal, brunch in BGC and Makati.

Science and art with kids

The Mind Museum is in JY Campos Park on 3rd Avenue. Its five galleries, Atom, Life, Earth, Universe and Technology, hold over 300 interactive exhibits, plus theater and planetarium shows. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 6pm.

With children aged 6 and under, add Playtales, the museum's play session for that age. The child and the adult with them both need regular museum tickets first.

The M, the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, is on 30th Street in the MK Tan Centre. It is closed until Saturday 7 November while it installs two major exhibitions, so check its Instagram before you go. Usual hours are Tuesday to Friday 11am to 6pm and weekends 10am to 6pm, with reduced prices for seniors, students and PWDs (persons with disability).

Teenagers who like making things can join The M's Printmaking Series, Saturday workshops for ages 12 and up that run through November. For more ideas, see things to do with kids in Manila and museums in Manila.

Books, pottery and a gallery

Fully Booked has its BGC store on Bonifacio High Street. Give it an unhurried hour between coffee and lunch, and see bookshops and book events in Manila for author talks around the city.

Laro Ceramics is on the 3rd floor of the C2 Building on 7th Avenue. A beginner's wheel-throwing class is ₱3,200 and a mug-making and painting class is ₱3,000, according to Laro's site. Book with friends and Laro takes up to ₱500 off per person, which makes it an easy birthday or team outing.

MO_Space is a gallery on the 3rd floor of MOs Design, B2 9th Avenue. Until 22 November it shows Terrains of Instability by Karina Broce-Gonzaga, Frelan Gonzaga, Kiri Dalena and Ben Brix, and HUBOG by Alan Cabalfin. More studios that take beginners are in pottery, art and cooking classes in Manila.

Run, ride, climb

Track 30th is BGC's outdoor fitness strip, used for jogging and outdoor workouts. For a class, Electric Studio has indoor cycling at Forbestown and Core Reformer and Rhythm Boxing at East Gallery Place.

First time at Electric? Arrive at least 15 minutes early and bring an ID. Cycling shoes are lent free, Rhythm Boxing needs sneakers, and Reformer needs grippy socks, which the front desk sells.

Power Up Climbing has a wall at ROX in BGC. Our guide to bouldering and climbing in Manila explains how a first session works. For courts and race-style training, see pickleball and padel courts and HYROX and functional fitness.

A quiet hour at the Manila American Cemetery

The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial is on McKinley Road, at the edge of BGC. It covers 152 acres and holds 16,859 graves from the Second World War, and its Tablets of the Missing carry 36,286 names.

It is open daily from 9am to 5pm, including Philippine holidays, and closed only on 25 December and 1 January. Admission is free with no booking; last entry is 4:45pm, and you need a valid photo ID.

Come for a slow walk among the white headstones, not a picnic. The ABMC (American Battle Monuments Commission), which runs it, asks visitors to keep "the utmost respect and solemnity". Bicycles stay at the front gate, cars keep to 20 km/h, and parking is behind the chapel.

Shows at BGC Arts Center

BGC Arts Center, at 26th Street corner 9th Avenue, is a project of the Bonifacio Art Foundation. Its main room, the Globe Auditorium inside the Maybank Performing Arts Theater, seats up to 500.

In September it staged Muli: An OPM Musical (OPM is Original Pilipino Music). Next up is Salamin ng Buhay: Basil S. Valdez @ 75 on Saturday 14 November, with tickets through TicketWorld.

The seats are movable and each producer sets its own layout, so check the seat plan before you buy. Cars drop off on Federacion Drive, and Gallery Parkade is a block away. Our venue page has seat levels, parking and the full show list.

Dinner, by mood

• Ramen, fast: Mendokoro Ramenba, ground floor of Mitsukoshi Mall, 8th Avenue corner 36th Street, open 10am to 11pm. More in Japanese restaurants in BGC.
• Grill at the table: Sariwon, Korean barbecue at C2, Bonifacio High Street Central. More in Korean BBQ in Manila.
• A long, proper dinner: Wolfgang's Steakhouse, lower ground floor of One Bonifacio High Street, open 11am to 11pm Sunday to Thursday and to midnight on Friday and Saturday. More in business dinner restaurants.
• With a view: see rooftop restaurants in BGC and Makati.

BGC at night

Start high. Straight Up, on the roof of Seda BGC, opens at 4pm and runs to midnight Sunday to Thursday and 2am on Friday and Saturday. Happy hour is buy one, take one on cocktails, beer and wine by the glass, so get there for the sunset.

O2 is on the 27th floor of the Bonifacio Civic Center Tower, 6 McKinley Parkway. Higher still, The Peak is on the 60th floor of Grand Hyatt Manila: bar entry is 18 and over, the dress code is smart casual with no slippers, and a DJ plays from 8:30pm Tuesday to Thursday and 9pm on Friday and Saturday.

Back at street level, No Entry Cocktail Club in the One Neo Building on 3rd Avenue has cocktails, an open kitchen and live music, and stays open to 2am on Friday and Saturday. Book through its site or on WhatsApp. The Back Room at Shangri-La The Fort and The Attic in Uptown round out the night; all of them are in bars in BGC, and the city's high-up options are in rooftop bars in Manila.

What is on in BGC now

• AWCP Charity Bazaar: Tuesday 10 November and Tuesday 1 December, 10am to 5pm, Function Rooms 1 and 2 at SMX Convention Center Aura. AWCP is the American Women's Club of the Philippines. November and December details.
• Basil Valdez @ 75: Saturday 14 November at BGC Arts Center. Details.
• International Bazaar 2026: Sunday 29 November, 9am to 7pm, at SMX Convention Center Aura in SM Aura Premier. Details.
• Still on: MO_Space's two shows until 22 November, and The M's Saturday printmaking workshops through November.
• More: every holiday fair in the city is in Christmas bazaars in Manila 2026.

Thinking of moving here? Read BGC vs Makati: where to live. Next door, see things to do in Makati and things to do in Pasig, and for the whole metro, things to do in Manila.

Questions people ask

What is there to do in BGC? Visit The Mind Museum, take a pottery class at Laro Ceramics, walk High Street Park, see a show at BGC Arts Center and end at a rooftop bar such as Straight Up or The Peak. The Manila American Cemetery, at the edge of BGC, is free to visit daily from 9am to 5pm.

Is BGC walkable? Yes. BGC says most destinations are 5 to 15 minutes apart on foot, and most of its parks are open 6am to 10pm.

How do I get to BGC without a car? Take the BGC Bus from EDSA Ayala (Telus side) in Makati or from Market! Market!. You pay with a Beep card or a QR ticket.

What is there for kids in BGC? The Mind Museum has over 300 interactive exhibits and a Playtales add-on for children 6 and under, open Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 6pm. The M runs Saturday printmaking workshops for ages 12 and up through November.

Where can I go in BGC at night? Rooftops: Straight Up at Seda BGC (to 2am on Friday and Saturday), O2 on McKinley Parkway and The Peak on the 60th floor of Grand Hyatt Manila. For cocktails and live music, No Entry Cocktail Club on 3rd Avenue.

Is the Manila American Cemetery open to the public? Yes, daily from 9am to 5pm except 25 December and 1 January, with last admission at 4:45pm. Entry is free, no booking is needed, and you need a valid photo ID.