FESTIVALS

AND
C U LT U R E
 W H AT A R E
T H E
F E S T I V A LS
Y O U H A V E
AT T E N D E D ?
SINULOG
FESTIVAL
 SINULOG FESTIVAL
What to expect: Street parties, colorful parades with
participants doing the Sinulog dance, evening pyro-
musical shows
Where to celebrate: Cebu City, Cebu
When: Every 3rd Sunday of January

The Sinulog Festival is Cebu’s pride, apart from its white-sand beaches and turquoise
waterfalls. It is also one of the biggest festivals in the Philippines, and perhaps in Asia
as well. Sinulog Festival honors the Santo Niño de Cebú, the oldest Christian artifact
in the Philippines, and was a gift from Ferdinand Magellan to Cebu’s Rajah Humabon.
The name Sinulog came from the Cebuano adverb “sulog” which meant “like water
flowing movement”, pertaining to the two-step forward, one-step backward dance
performed during the grand street parade.
D I N A G Y A N G
F E S T I V A L
 DINAGYANG FESTIVAL
What to expect: Inter-school and inter-barangay street
dancing contests, fluvial procession, beauty pageants
Where to celebrate: Iloilo City, Iloilo
When: Every 4th Sunday of January

Like Cebu’s Sinulog Festival, the Dinagyang Festival also honors the Santo Niño.
Additionally, the festival also celebrates the pact between the locals and the Bornean
Datus. To add to its prestige, the festival won Best Tourism Event by the
Association of Tourism Officers in the Philippines, as well as other awards. There
are plenty of events to attend and sights to see at the festival, including the Ati Tribe
competition where tribes dance around the street, chanting to the beat of the drum
and percussion instruments. Complete the Dinagyang experience and munch on
local delicacies like chicken inasal or silvanas at the food stalls around the city.
 AT I -
AT I H A N
FESTIVAL
 ATI-ATIHAN FESTIVAL
What to expect: Lively dance parades
featuring costumes made out of indigenous
materials
Where to celebrate: Kalibo, Aklan
When: Every 3rd Sunday of January

Also known as the “Mother of Philippine Festivals”, it is one of the oldest festivals
in the country and is where Sinulog and Dinagyang festivals took inspiration from.
The festival initially began as a pagan festival meant to honor the Aetas, the original
settlers of the island, and when the Spaniards arrived, it took a religious turn,
honoring the Santo Niño.
P H I L I P P I N E
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
H O T A I R
B A L L O O N
F I E S T A
 PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL HOT AIR BALLOON
FIESTA

What to expect: Aviation exhibitions,

seminars, and demonstrations
Where to celebrate: Clark,
Pampanga/Carmona, Cavite
When: February or March

The Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta is an annual four-day event
held between January and February in Clark Freeport Zone, Angeles, Pampanga. It
is the biggest and longest-running aviation sports event in the Philippines. The event
features multicolored hot air balloons with more than a hundred balloon pilots from
around the world.
P A N A G B E N G A
F E S T I V A L
 PANAGBENGA FESTIVAL
What to expect: Street parades featuring
floats made from flowers, trade fairs, and
bazaars showcasing local products
Where to celebrate: Baguio City,
Benguet
When: February

Baguio’s Panagbenga Festival is one of the longest festivals in the Philippines, celebrated during the
whole month of February. Panagbenga Festival was created as a way to rise up from the tragedy
brought by the 1990 earthquake. Derived from the local word meaning “a season of blossoming”,
you’ll find the city literally in bloom as you watch the street dance and float parade, two of the most
anticipated events during the festival. Admire the participants clad in various flower-inspired costumes
and marvel gigantic floats covered and decorated with flowers.
M A S S K A R A
F E S T I V A L
 MASSKARA FESTIVAL
What to expect: Street dances, beauty
pageants, food festivals
Where to celebrate: Bacolod, Negros
Occidental
When: October

Hailed from Bacolod, the MassKara Festival was created as a way to uplift the
locals during a time of agricultural crisis. Although it is a month-long celebration,
the festival’s main events happen on the fourth Sunday of October. The smiling
masks were a declaration of the people of Bacolod City that they will pull through
and survive the challenges and tragedies that they are facing.
P I N T A D O S -
K A S A D Y A A N
F E S T I V A L
 PINTADOS-KASADYAAN FESTIVAL
What to expect: Huge street parades with
participants wearing body paint
Where to celebrate: Tacloban, Leyte
When: June 29

The Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival lets you get a glimpse of how the locals lived
before the Spaniards arrived in the country. This festival dates back to the 1980s to
pay tribute to the tattooed people of Leyte and has since been one of the most
anticipated festivals in the Philippines. Expect lively street parades with locals
wearing body paint in vibrant hues of green and blue. These designs resemble the
armor used by warriors and symbolize the ancestral people of Leyte.
M O R I O N E S
F E S T I V A L
 MORIONES FESTIVAL
What to expect: Locals dressed up as Roman
soldiers — complete with a breastplate, tunic,
helmet, and spear — roaming around the streets
Where to celebrate: Marinduque Island
When: Holy Week (March or April)

During this time, people go home to their hometowns and reflect on the life of Jesus
Christ. The Holy Week is also when the small island of Marinduque celebrates its
Moriones Festivals. Here, you’ll find people dressed up as Roman soldiers roaming
around the main streets playfully scaring children. In the evening, witness a reenactment
of the search for Longinus, a soldier who punctured Jesus with a spear. Although there
isn’t much interaction going on for watchers, you’ll see and appreciate the Filipinos’
penchant for pageantry and theatrics.
PAHIYAS
FESTIVAL
 PAHIYAS FESTIVAL
What to expect: Houses decorated with fruits,
vegetables, and colorful kiping (rice wafers)
Where to celebrate: Lucban and Sariaya,
Quezon
When: May 15

Held every mid-May, the Pahiyas Festival is celebrated in Quezon province in honor of St.
Isidore the Laborer, the patron saint of farmers. The harvest festival brings out the local’s
creative and competitive side, designing their houses with agricultural products and
colorful kiping, leaf-shaped wafers made from rice. Walk around the streets of Lucban and
Sariaya and marvel at the creative displays. Best of all, you’re free to snag a banana or two
from the houses’ decorations! Aside from the decorated houses, other Pahiyas festivities
include parades starring papier-mâché giants and lavishly designed floats.
HIGANTES
FESTIVAL
 HIGANTES FESTIVAL
What to expect: Parades featuring giant papier-
mâché puppets, water-splashing activities
Where to celebrate: Angono, Rizal
When: November 22-23

During the last weeks of November, head to the town of Angono in Rizal and
witness one of the most unique festivals in the Philippines! Find towering papier-
mâché puppets parading around the city while marching bands play energetic beats
at the Higantes Festival. These puppets festival started as a small event mocking the
bad hacienderos (land owners) who prohibited the common folk from celebrating,
except for one festival every year. Since then, it evolved into a festival celebrating
the feast of Pope St. Clement I. Other than the iconic puppets, another festival
highlight is the basaan, or water splashing, where people will sprinkle water on
each other as a form of blessing.
 GIANT
LANTERN
FESTIVAL
GIANT LANTERN FESTIVAL
What to expect: Giant displays of parol (star-shaped
lanterns) and light shows
Where to celebrate: San Fernando, Pampanga
When: December

Also known as the Christmas Capital of the Philippines, barangays of

San Fernando compete in making the best parol, with some reaching up to 20 feet
in diameter. In addition, these lanterns should only be made from locally sourced
materials. These festive lanterns are paraded around town before the Christmas
midnight mass and the winning barangay is awarded the best parol. Add in the
Filipino’s hospitable nature with the atmosphere in San Fernando and you’ll have
a memorable Christmas experience.
 ALIWAN
FESTIVAL
 ALIWAN FESTIVAL
What to expect: Showcase of all Filipino festivals in one
big event
Where to celebrate: Pasay City. Metro Manila
When: April

The so-called “Festival of All Festivals” is actually a contest that aims to promote
cultural diversity and showcase the various Filipino festivals. Despite being one
of the newer festivals, it quickly became one of the most popular festivals in the
Philippines. Every year, all 17 regions in the country participate in the festival’s
main highlights: a street dance competition, float parade, and beauty pageant.
Because of the accessibility of Pasay City, you can easily join the festivities and
see the country’s festivals in one place.
K A D A Y A W A N
F E S T I V A L
 KADAYAWAN FESTIVAL

What to expect: Fluvial parades, tribal dance

competitions, trade fairs
Where to celebrate: Davao City, Davao del
Sur
When: 3rd week of August

Held every 3rd week of August, Kadayawan Festival is celebrated in Davao City
celebrates its as a tribute to its indigenous people. It also serves as a thanksgiving
celebration for the city’s bountiful harvest season. Aside from the parades, other
events include the civic-military parade, cultural presentations, and beauty pageants.
 TUNA
FESTIVAL
 TUNA FESTIVAL
What to expect: Ocean-themed float
parade, fresh tuna served along the street
Where to celebrate: General Santos City,
South Cotabato
When: September

The Tuna Festivalis an annual festival celebrated on the first week of

September in General Santos, known as the tuna capital of the Philippines
due to the abundance of the fish in the waters of Sarangani Bay.