DINAGYANG FESTIVAL

What is it? Dinagyang means “Merry Making” and its a celebration held in honor
of the Santo Niño
Type of Festival: Religious, Cultural, and a Spectator-Type Festival
When is it Held: 4th Sunday of January (one week after Sinulog and Ati-Atihan)
Main Highlights:

 Ati-Atihan Dance Competition on Sunday (all day starting 9am), and

 Kasadyahan Street Dancing on Saturday (all day)

Iloilo’s Dinagyang: Hala Bira! Viva Señor Santo Niño!

A lot of festival enthusiasts believe that Dinagyang is one of the BEST Festivals in
the Philippines.

Although the celebration still has that quaint, provincial city-feel, the Ati-Atihan
dance productions are among the best I’ve seen in street dance festivals in the
Philippines. They are the Grand Champions in the Aliwan Festival (Manila-based
competition for all the street dance festivals).

Dinagyang is the best time to go to Iloilo!

SINULOG FESTIVAL, CEBU

SINULOG FESTIVAL
What is it? SINULOG is a dance ritual in honor of the miraculous image of the
Santo Niño. The name pertains to the strong current movement of the Cebu River
which is re-enacted in the dance.
Type of Festival: Religious, Cultural, Dance Ritual, and a Spectator-Type Festival
When is it Held: 3rd Sunday of January (Feast Day of Santo Niño)
Main Highlights:

 Santo Niño procession on Sunday (all day after the first Sunday Mass)
 Sinulog Fluvial Parade on Saturday (Early Morning)

Sinulog Fluvial Breakfast!

Sinulog in Cebu is the biggest festival in the Philippines, celebrating the feast of
the Child Jesus, Santo Niño de Cebú, with a dance ritual to the beat of the
drums. Held every third Sunday of January, it is the largest and most attended
fiesta in the country with an all-day-long parade and party.

ATI-ATIHAN FESTIVAL, KALIBO, AKLAN

ATI-ATIHAN FESTIVAL
What is it? ATI-ATIHAN means “to become like Aetas” which is originally a
pagan animist festival that the Spaniards adapted in honor of the Sto. Niño
Type of Festival: Religious, Cultural, and a Participative-Type Festival
When is it Held: 3rd Sunday of January (Feast Day of Santo Niño)
Main Highlights:

 Ati-Atihan parade on Saturday (after the dawn procession at 4am &

devotee’s mass at 5am.)
 Feast Day religious celebrations of Señor Santo Niño de Kalibo on Sunday

KALIBO: What to Expect in the Sto. Niño ATI-ATIHAN

Festival in Kalibo?
Kalibo’s Ati-Atihan is the mother of all the big Sto. Niño festivals of Sinulog in
Cebu and Dinagyang in Iloilo. It’s the biggest fiesta that is “non-commercialized”
and stays true to its Filipino Fiesta vibe. It’s a “participative fiesta” where you
dance with the performers vs. a “spectator fiesta” where you just watch in the
sidelines. They say you have not experienced a Filipino fiesta unless you’ve been
to Ati-Atihan.

PAHIYAS FESTIVAL, LUCBAN, QUEZON

PAHIYAS FESTIVAL
What is it? A Harvest Thanksgiving Festival to San Isidro Labrador, the Patron
Saint of Farmers
Type of Festival: Religious, Cultural, Harvest Festival and a Spectator-Type
Festival
When is it Held: Every 15th of May
Main Highlights:

 Early Morning Procession in honor of San Isidro Labrador

 Walking along the procession route, where all the houses are decorated
with kiping and their harvest.

PAHIYAS: 8 Tips for an Awesome San Isidro Labrador

Fiesta!
Pahiyas is one of the most awesome fiestas in the country. It falls on the feast day
of San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of farmers to show gratitude for a good
and abundant harvest. It is celebrated in Lucban (most popular and
commercialized), Sariaya, Tayabas and other towns in Quezon.

The Pahiyas Festival is always observed on a fixed date — May 15.

CUTUD CRUXIFICIONS, SAN FERNANDO,

PAMPANGA
San Pedro Cutud Lenten Rites
What is it? A Holy Week Re-enactment of the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ
Type of Festival: Religious, Cultural, and a Spectator-Type Festival
When is it Held: Every Good Friday 3pm
Main Highlight:

 Passion Play culminating with a nailing to a wooden cross of three penitents

at 3pm.

Cutud Crucifixions: Good Friday Traditions of San Fernando,

Pampanga
Spanky once said to us that we need to experience the Cutud Crucifixions before
we can be certified as adopted Kapampangans. Our family went to San Fernando,
Pampanga on Good Friday to see the 50+-year old solemn tradition of crucifixions
in San Pedro Cutud, Pampanga.

MASSKARA FESTIVAL, BACOLOD

MASSKARA FESTIVAL
What is it? A Masquerade Party to lift up the spirits of the Bacolod people after
the Sugar Crisis in 1980’s. It’s name comes from English word “mass” meaning
“multitude of people”, and Spanish word “kara” meaning “face”.
Type of Festival: Festival of Smiles, Modern Festival and a Spectator-Type
Festival
When is it Held: Every Third Weekend of October (or closest weekend to October
19)

PANAGBENGA FESTIVAL, BAGUIO

PANAGBENGA FESTIVAL
What is it? A Flower Festival whose name “Panagbenga” comes from local
Kankana-ey term in Cordillera meaning “a season or time for blossoming”
Type of Festival: Flower Festival, Modern Festival and a Spectator-Type Festival
When is it Held: Last Sunday of February
Main Highlights:

 Grand Flower Float Parade along Session Road on Sunday 8am

 Grand Street Parade along Session Road on Saturday 8am

BAGUIO’s PANAGBENGA Flower Festival

PANAGBENGA is a local Kankana-ey term in Cordillera, which means “a season
for blossoming or a time for blooming“, coined by Ike Picpican, curator of the
Saint Louis University Museum in 1997.It is a month-long celebration in
February/March during the business-lean months to attract tourists to the City of
Baguio after the holidays and before the peak Summer Season.It culminates with
a Grand Flower Float Parade, held usually on the last Sunday of February.The
Flower festival symbolizes the rise of Baguio from the city’s devastating
earthquake disaster on July 16, 1990.