Ati-Atihan Festival
Sinulog Festival
3rd weekend of January | Kalibo, Aklan
This Sto. Niño festival started it all. One of
the oldest religious celebrations in the
country, Ati-Atihan is characterized by a
parade filled with face-painted celebrants,
indigenous costumes and weapons, tribal
dances, and loud drumbeats.
Tourists who flock to Kalibo for the
festivities are free to cover themselves in
black soot and dance on the streets with the
drum beats. Known as the “The Filipino
Mardi Gras,” it is truly an experience not to
be missed.
3rd weekend of January | Cebu City
Cebu also has its own version of the festival
in honor of the Sto. Niño. If you find yourself
attending the Sinulog Festival, “Pit Señor!” is
a phrase you will hear a lot. It means
“Panangpit sa Señor,” a Cebuano phrase that
means to plead to the Señor Santo Niño.
It is one of the most attended festivals in the
Philippines, attracting millions of locals and
tourists from all over the world. In 2013, it
was reported that the number of participants
reached a whopping four million.
Sinulog not only sets the stage for Cebuano
talents but also for other regional acts as
contingents from neighboring provinces are
showcased through street dancing, pageantry,
and sports. It is also known for hosting the
country’s biggest raves, drawing a growing
number of party-goers from all over the
country year after year.
 tourism to countries like the United States,
Dinagyang Festival Canada, and Singapore.

4th weekend of January | Iloilo City Panagbenga Festival

February | Baguio City

If you happen to know someone from Iloilo,

try and ask them about this Philippine
festival. You’ll see how their pride for their The word “Panagbenga” comes from the
city’s festival is nothing short of astounding. Kankanaey term that means “season of
blooming.” With the numerous parades of
Once a year, Iloilo City transforms into one
floral floats and children dressed as flora and
big street party — streets closed, bands in all
fauna, it definitely lives up to its name,
corners, overflowing food and drinks, and
making Baguio the perfect destination for
towering boom boxes. To cap it all off, tribes
those who still have a hangover from the huge
representing different barangays and high
festivals in January.
schools perform in one very competitive
street dancing contest. Adding to the usual Baguio tourist sites to
visit, the whole length of the Session Road
It’s no wonder how this city’s once simple
during Panagbenga becomes a feast for the
celebration in honor of the child Jesus (Sto.
eyes. Called “Session Road in Bloom,”
Niño) ended up bagging several awards
Baguio’s famous street is closed to vehicular
including the Association of Tourism Officers
traffic to make way for flower carts, street
of the Philippines’ (ATOP) title holder for
dancing, and outdoor cafes.
Best Tourism Event of the Philippines.
Now that it’s a huge event bringing in
According to Iloilo City Tourism Officer Ben
thousands of tourists each year, it’s important
Jimena, the winning tribes are now going
to plan ahead (make early restaurant
international and will be promoting Philippine
reservations, bring a map, etc.) if you are
attending this Philippine festival.
 Moriones Festival
Holy Week | Marinduque
This week-long celebration of the life of St.
Longinus is what makes Marinduque one of
the top destinations during Holy Week in the
Philippines. Morion is the helmet worn by the
centurions while Moriones refers to the
costumed penitents reenacting the search for
St. Longinus, hunted by his fellow centurions
for converting to Christianity.
During the festival you will see
Marinduqueños dressed up as centurions
(Moriones) looking for Longinus. One person
acts as Longinus, hiding from them while the
townspeople play along and allow him to hide
in their houses. Via Crucis or the reenactment
of the Passion of Christ also happens during
this Philippine festival.
Aliwan Festival
Last weekend of April | Pasay City,
Manila
Aliwan Fiesta is more of a competition than it
is a festival. However, it has undeniably
added great value to the growing interest in
Philippine festivals. Although it just started in
the early 2000s, it has already gained a strong
fan-base nationwide with more than 5,000
young men and women from all over the
country joining the competition.
For a lot of people who are in Manila,
heading to the CCP Complex is the cheapest
way to see quality performances from tribes
representing festivals in their respective
provinces. Plus, it’s always great to see tribes
from Dinagyang and Sinulog give their A-
performances to grab the million-peso grand
prize.

Pahiyas Festival
15th of May | Lucban, Quezon
One of the Philippines’ most colorful harvest
festival, May 15th marks that time of the year
when people in Lucban decorate their houses
with different-colored produces in an almost
competitive manner.
It’s not uncommon to see singakamas
(turnip), talong (eggplant), sigarilyas (winged
bean) and all the other vegetables and fruits
mentioned in the Bahay Kubo song hanging
on the exteriors of their homes. You can
actually bring a basket and pick the produce
from the walls for free.
Pintados Festival
29th of June | Tacloban City
Pintados is another festival in honor of the
Sto. Niño (yes, this is the 4th of its kind in the
list). It just goes to show how Filipinos want
to be reminded to be childlike in their ways
and to place hope in their children.
This festival has been growing in popularity
because of the contingents they send to the
Aliwan Fiesta every year. They don’t fail to
amaze. Leyte is also the home base of other
festivals like Alikaraw, Pasaka, and the 2009
Aliwan Fiesta champions, Buyogan.
 Kadayawan Festival
3rd week of August | Davao City
Kadayawan comes from the Dabawenyo word
“madayaw,” a friendly greeting which means
good or beautiful. Probably the biggest
festival in Mindanao, Kadayawan has
everything all other festivals have: street
dancing, beauty pageants, fireworks displays,
floral floats.
It is a celebration of Davao‘s as well as the
rest of Mindanao’s abundance; showcasing
flowers, fruits, and other produces that
abound the country’s second largest island.
Just two years ago, they even introduced a
week-long street food fiesta in Freedom Park,
Roxas Avenue called Kaan sa Da’n.
MassKara Festival
19th of October | Bacolod City
Colorful masks, street dancing, electrical
displays and best of all… the sweet smiles of
Bacoleñas! What more could you ask for?
MassKara is a combination of the words
“mass” which means “crowd” and “kara”
which means “face.” You will see participants
wearing smiling masks signifying a multitude
of smiling faces, solidifying Bacolod’s title as
the “City of Smiles.”
Like Sinulog, it is also swarmed by the
younger party crowd as it is conveniently
scheduled during the semester break.
There are still a lot of Philippine festivals not
mentioned in this list. The next time you book
a flight, you might want to consider
scheduling it during that destination’s festival
dates.
 Kaamulan Festival
28th Feb – 1st March |Bukidnon
The Kaamulan Festival is a Bukidnon ethnic-
cultural festival that takes place from the last
week of February to the first week of March.
Kaamulan, from the Binukid word amul, “to
gather”, is an indigenous Bukidnon term for a
gathering for any purpose. It can mean a
datukship ritual, a wedding ceremony, a
thanksgiving festival during harvest time, a
peace pact, or any number of these together.
The Festival is held in Malaybalay City from
the second half of February to March 10, the
anniversary date of the foundation of
Bukidnon as a province in 1917,d to celebrate
the culture and tradition of the seven ethnic
tribal groups—Bukidnon, Higaonon,
Talaandig, Manobo, Matigsalug, Tigwahanon
and Umayamnon—that originally inhabited
the province. It is the only ethnic festival in
the Philippines.
Higantes Festival
23rd November | Agono Rizal
Angono celebrates the “Higantes Festival”
which coincides with the Feast of Saint
Clement, the Patron Saint of Angono.
Higantes Festival is now promoted as
tourism-generating event in the country. This
attracts numerous tourist from all over the
world. The higantes are made of paper-
mache. Higantes measures four to five feet in
diameter and ten to twelve feet in height.
Traditionally, it began in the last century
when Angono was a Spanish hacienda. This
higantes was influenced by the Mexican art
form of paper-mache brought by the Spanish
priests to the Philippines.
 Giant Lanterns
December | San Fernando City
The Giant Lanterns Festival is an annual
festival held in December (Saturday before
Christmas Eve) in the City of San Fernando
in the Philippines. The festival features a
competition of giant lanterns. Because of the
popularity of the festival, the city has been
nicknamed the “Christmas Capital of the
Philippines”.
Sirong Festival
August | Surigao del sur
Sirong Festival is an ethnic mardi-gras
parade. Although some other municipalities
in the province of Surigao del Sur are
claiming to have this festival originated from
them. As most of this coastal towns are
founded during the pre-Spanish occupation
and is both claiming the story of being
attacked by the moros.
Sirong is known to be a war dance between
muslims and Christians.
 The Sandugo Festival is held every July. The
Tagbilaran City Charter Day on July 1 kicks-
off the month-long festival with a holy mass,
diana, motorcade and program sponsored by
the City Government of Tagbilaran. Among
the major activities during the month is the
Miss Bohol Sandugo Beauty Pageant, and the
Sandugo Street Dancing Competition which
is usually held on the 3rd or 4th Sunday of
Sandugo Festival July, and organized by the Bohol Sandugo
Foundation, Inc. (BSFI).
July | Tagbiliran city

The Sandugo Festival is an annual historical

celebration that takes place every year in
Tagbilaran City on the island of Bohol in the
Philippines. This festival commemorates the
Treaty of Friendship between Datu Sikatuna,
a chieftain in Bohol, and Spanish
conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi. This
16th-century peace treaty occurred on March
16, 1565 through a blood compact or
"sandugo".