4. What is a FESTIVAL?
an event ordinarily staged by a community,
centering on and celebrating some unique
aspect of that community and its traditions,
often marked as a local or national holiday,
mela or eid.
to commemoration and/or thanksgiving.
associated with celebration and may also
provide entertainment
7. Ati-Atihan 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.
8. Moriones Festival
Holy Week | Boac, Gasan, and Mogpog,
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.
9. Sinulog Festival
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.
10. Panagbenga Festival
February | Baguio City
• The word “Panagbenga” comes from
the Kankanaey term that means “season
of blooming.” With the numerous parades
of floral floats and children dressed as
flora and fauna, it definitely lives up to its
name, making Baguio the perfect
destination for those who still have a
hangover from the huge festivals in
January.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. MassKara Festival
19th of October | Bacolod City
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.”
14. Dinagyang Festival
4th weekend of January | Iloilo City
• Once a year, Iloilo City transforms into one big
street party — streets closed, bands in all
corners, overflowing food and drinks, and
towering boom boxes. To cap it all off, tribes
representing different barangays and high
schools perform in one very competitive
street dancing contest.
15. Aliwan Fiesta
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.
16. 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.
