Been There – Manila Christmas 2025

The Been There Manila Christmas 2025 is already the third iteration of the Holiday Edition Been There mug for the city. While the artwork remains largely familiar, Starbucks has again changed the outline colour. The original Christmas release from 2022 featured gold outlines, while the second version from 2024 used black; this time, the 2025 edition switches to red. The holiday additions are easy to spot, including a large Christmas tree, ornaments, gifts, and other festive details scattered throughout the design. It is interesting that this release is much closer to the 2022 Edition than the one from 2024, judging by the placement of the Christmas tree.

– The Manila City Hall is one of the city’s most recognizable government buildings, particularly because of its prominent clock tower. Completed in 1939, the building features a neoclassical design and continues to serve as the seat of Manila’s city government.

– The Rizal Monument honors Dr. José Rizal, the Filipino writer and national hero whose execution in 1896 helped inspire the movement for Philippine independence. Unveiled in 1913, the monument stands in Rizal Park and contains Rizal’s remains, with a bronze sculpture of him rising above the granite base.

– Manila Bay forms the city’s western edge and has played an important role in Manila’s development as a port and commercial center. Today, the waterfront along Roxas Boulevard is particularly well known for its sunsets, which have become one of the city’s most familiar sights.

– Binondo is Manila’s historic Chinatown and is generally regarded as the oldest Chinatown in the world. Established in 1594 during the Spanish colonial period, the district developed into an important center of Chinese-Filipino commerce and culture. Today, its busy streets are especially famous for shops, restaurants, traditional businesses, and landmarks such as Binondo Church.

– Intramuros, meaning “within the walls,” was the political and religious center of Manila during more than three centuries of Spanish colonial rule. Established in the late 16th century, the fortified district contains some of the city’s most important historic landmarks, including Fort Santiago and Manila Cathedral.

– Fort Santiago stands at the northern end of Intramuros near the Pasig River. Built by the Spanish beginning in 1571, the fortress served as an important defensive stronghold and later as a military headquarters and prison. José Rizal was imprisoned here shortly before his execution in 1896.

– The Manila Cathedral has occupied its site within Intramuros since the Spanish colonial period, although earthquakes, fires, wars, and other disasters have resulted in the church being rebuilt several times. The present cathedral was completed in 1958 following the destruction of its predecessor during the Battle of Manila in 1945.

– Plaza Moriones is a historic public space located just outside the entrance to Fort Santiago. The plaza forms part of the larger Intramuros landscape and provides a green open area surrounded by some of Manila’s most important colonial-era landmarks.

– Baluarte de San Diego is one of the surviving defensive structures of Intramuros. Its history dates to the late 16th century, when an earlier circular fortification was constructed on the site. The remains of its walls and circular foundations are now surrounded by gardens, providing a glimpse into the elaborate system of defences that once protected the walled city.

– The kalesa, a traditional horse-drawn carriage, recalls a form of transportation introduced during the Spanish colonial period. Once a common sight on Manila’s streets, kalesas are now primarily associated with historic districts such as Intramuros, where they continue to carry visitors past the city’s colonial landmarks.

– The large Christmas tree makes the purpose of this particular edition unmistakable. Christmas occupies an unusually long and important place in Filipino culture, with decorations and Christmas music often beginning to appear as early as September. The tree, gifts, ornaments, and other seasonal additions distinguish this version from the otherwise closely related Manila Been There designs.