Crowds arrived at Manila Bay in the Philippines today (September 20th) to set foot on the synthetic white sand of a new man-made beach.

The project, part of the rehabilitation of the bay famed for its sunset, clearly captured the imagination of Manila residents and thousands showed up for one-day-only soft launch of the beach.

Due to COVID-19 measures, only 70 people were allowed onto the sand at time although long lines of people queued outside for the chance to enter, mostly ignoring social distancing.