Festivals in the Philippines

The Ati-Atihan Festival is a feast held annually in

January in honor of the Santo Nio (Infant Jesus),
concluding on the third Sunday, in the island and
town of Kalibo, Aklan in the Philippines. The name
Ati-Atihan means "to be like Atis" or "to make
believe Ati's", the local name for the Aeta
aborigines who first settled Panay Island and other
parts of the archipelago.

Date: Third Sunday of January

The Sinulog-Santo Nio Festival is an annual

cultural and religious festival held on the third
Sunday of January in Cebu City, and is the centre of
the Santo Nio Catholic celebrations in the
Philippines.

The festival is considered to be first of most

popular festivals in the Philippines, with every
celebration of the festival routinely attracting
around 1 to 2 million people from all over the
Philippines every year. Aside from the religious
aspect of the festival, Sinulog is also famous for its
street parties, usually happening the night before
and the night of the main festival.

Date: January

The Dinagyang Festival is a religious and cultural

festival in Iloilo City, Philippines held on the fourth
Sunday of January, or right after the Sinulog in
Cebu and the Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo, Aklan. It
is held both to honor the Santo Nio and to
celebrate the arrival on Panay of Malay settlers and
the subsequent selling of the island to them by the
Atis.

Date: Fourth Sunday of January

The Dinagsa festival is in honor of Cadiz patron
saint, Senor Santo Nino de Cadiz. The formation of
the festival was with the idea of bringing the
people away from there then growing vices on
Sabong or cock fight during the fiesta. The parish
priest of Cadiz at that time was urged to formulate
an event that would really focus the attention of
the people to honoring the parish patron saint.
There came the idea of Dinagsa Festival.

Date: January

The Coconut Festival is a week-long celebration in

San Pablo, Laguna, the Philippines, in honor of their
patron Saint Paul the Hermit. It is held every first to
second week of January. It is a celebration started
in 1996. The festival consists of Street dancing,
float parade, street concerts, nightly programs
before the city fiesta and some other important
events like the yearly "Mutya at Lakan ng San
Pablo".

Date: January

Ang Hinugyaw Festival ay isa sa mga pistang

ipinagdiriwang sa Lungsod Koronadal bilang
pagdiriwang ng pagkakatatag ng kanilang lungsod
na noo'y Marbel Settlement District noong 1940.
Nagkakaroon ng parada, pagtatanghal ng mga
katutubong sayaw, palaro, paligsahan, at kung anu-
ano pang gawaing nagpapakita ng mga tradisyon at
kultura ng Koronadal.

Date: January
Panagbenga Festival (English: Flower Festival) is a month-
long annual flower festival occurring in Baguio. The term is
of Kankanaey origin, meaning "season of blooming".[1]
The festival, held during the month of February, was
created as a tribute to the city's flowers and as a way to
rise up from the devastation of the 1990 Luzon
earthquake.[2] The festival includes floats that are covered
mostly with flowers not unlike those used in Pasadena's
Rose Parade. The festival also includes street dancing,
presented by dancers clad in flower-inspired costumes,
that is inspired by the Bendian, an Ibaloi dance of
celebration that came from the Cordillera region.

Date: February

Kaamulan Festival is an ethnic cultural festival held

annually in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon in the Philippines
from the second half of February to March 10, the
anniversary date of the foundation of Bukidnon as a
province in 1917. It is held to celebrate the culture and
tradition of the seven ethnic tribal groupsBukidnon,
Higaonon, Talaandig, Manobo, Matigsalug, Tigwahanon
and Umayamnonthat originally inhabit the province. It is
the only ethnic festival in the Philippines.

Start: February
End: March

Paraw Regatta Festival or Iloilo Paraw Regatta Festival is

an annual festival held in February in the Villa de Arevalo
district, Iloilo City, Philippines. Its main event is a sailboat
race in Iloilo Strait that features the Paraw, a Visayan
double outrigger sail boat. It is the oldest traditional craft
event in Asia and the largest sailing event in the
Philippines.[1][2] It is one of Iloilo City's tourism events
along with the Dinagyang Festival, Kasadyahan Festival,
Chinese New Year festival and La Candelaria Fiesta. The
Iloilo Paraw Regatta began as a half-day sailboat race but
is now a multi-day, multi-event festival.

Date: February
The Pamulinawen Festival is the annual fiesta
of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte. Held on the 10th of February,
the fiesta honors St. William the Hermit, the patron saint
of Laoag, whom residents believe intercedes to save
Laoag from calamities

Date: 10th ofFebruary

Pintados de Pasi Festival is a rice and sugar-rich area

and the only component city and the largest in the
Province of Iloilo in terms of land area, population and
income. It is popularly called the "Sweet City" of Panay
due to its vast pineapple plantations and annual output in
fruit production.

Date: March

Araw ng Dabaw ay isang taunang selebrasyon sa Davao

bilang pasasalamat sa mga biyayang tinatanggap ng
siyudad. Kalimitang nagsisimula ang pagdiriwang tuwing
ika-labing anim ng Marso at tumatagal ng isang linggo.
Noong ika-labing-anim ng Marso taong 1936 naghain si
Davao Assemblyman Romualdo Quimpo ng batas para
malikha ang Davao bilang siyudad sa takot na baka
sakupin ito ng mga Hapon. Ngayong taon, pampitumput
pitong taon nang ipinagdiriwang ang Araw ng Dabaw.

Date: 16th of March

A celebration commemorating the significance of
kariton in the life of the people and the development
of Tupi as a whole. The event opens with a parade of
kariton loaded and adorned by agricultural produce
and drawn by carabaos. It aims to bring the young
generation back to old times when kariton was the
main means of transportation.

Date: March

The Moriones is a lenten rites held on Holy Week on

the island of Marinduque, Philippines. The "Moriones"
are men and women in costumes and masks
replicating the garb of biblical Roman soldiers as
interpreted by local folks. The Moriones or Moryonan
tradition has inspired the creation of other festivals in
the Philippines where cultural practices or folk history
is turned into street festivals.

Date: April

The Panaad sa Negros Festival, also called simply as

the Panaad Festival (sometimes spelled as Pana-ad),
is a festival held annually during the month of April in
Bacolod City, the capital of Negros Occidental
province in the Philippines. Panaad is the Hiligaynon
word for "vow" or "promise"; the festival is a form of
thanksgiving to Divine Providence and
commemoration of a vow in exchange for a good life.
The celebration is held at the Panaad Park, which also
houses the Panaad Stadium, and is participated in by
the 13 cities and 19 towns of the province. For this
reason, the province dubs it the "mother" of all its
festivals.

Date: April
 Aliwan Fiesta is an annual event that gathers different
cultural festivals of the Philippines in Star City Complex
in Pasay City wherein contingents compete in dance
parade and float competitions, as well as in a beauty
pageant. Organized by Manila Broadcasting Company
(MBC) together with Cultural Center of the Philippines
(CCP) and the cities of Manila and Pasay, the event is
dubbed as "The Metro Manila of All Fiestas," with
prizes totaling to P3 million (roughly US$70,000).
Aliwan Fiesta, which began in 2003, aims to showcase
the different Filipino cultures and heritage not only to
the people in Metro Manila but also to the rest of the
world.

Date: April

Magayon Festival is an annual festival in May that

relives the legend of Mayon Volcano. The festival
derived its name from magayon, from a Bicolano
term which means beautiful. This celebration is
held in honor of Nuestra Seora de la Porteria,
Daraga's patron saint. This legendary, historical and
religious celebration aims to showcase the cultural
life of the people of Daraga, Albay.

Date: May

Pahiyas Festival is a colorful feast celebrated every

15th of May by the people of Lucban, Quezon in
honor of San Isidro Labrador. It is the farmers'
thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest with a grand
display of colorful rice wafers, fruits, vegetables, and
handicrafts adorning every house in the town.

Date: May
 Sanduguan is a festival that reenacts the first barter
trade between the Mangyan, the natives of Mindoro
and traders from China. They celebrate the festival by
dancing interpreting the trade with costumes made
of anything that can be found in their hometown.
Sandugo is the root word of sanduguan which means
brotherhood or friend and the trades that happened
long time ago was the earliest trade being recorded
in the trade history of china which was in 900 AD.

Date: May

Dubbed as BARAGATAN, from a Cuyuno

word "beggar" which means a convergence
of people coming together from various
municipalities bringing their songs, dances
and music and present all these aspect of
life through cultural presentation, trade
shows, exhibitions, float parade and street
dancing. Baragatan celebrates the
foundation of the civil government of
Palawan. The festival derives its name from
a Cuyunon terms that means 'meeting', and
true to its meaning Baragatan is a
convergence and coming together of the
people of Palawan to celebrate its history
and rich culture. Highlights of the event are
trade and food fair, street dancing, cultural
shows of different municipalities, the private
sector and the ethnic groups, and the
coronation of Ms. Palawan.
Date: June

Sangyaw Festival is a religious and socio-

cultural event in the Philippines. It was
revived in 2008 by the city government of
Tacloban, Philippines. Sangyaw means "to
herald news" in Waray language. Various
festival-participants from different parts of
the country participate in this tribal
procession.It was held a day before the city
fiesta. The festival was first held in 1974 but
was cancelled in 1987.Date: June
 The Pista Y Ang Kagueban, a Cuyuno dialect
which means Pista ng Kagubatan was
conceptualized by the then Palawan Integrated
Area Development Project Office (PIADPO) in
1991. This is to institutionalize the protection
and conservation of the environment for the
youth. Irawan watershed was selected as the
primary area for the tree planting site.
The first Pista Y Ang Kagueban was held in
June 1991. It was in that same year the United
Nations declared the month of June as
Environment Month. With little anticipation, the
activity turned out to be an enormous success
beyond expectations in two years.

Date: June

Tnalak Festival, also known as Tinalak

Festival, is a festival held to celebrate the
anniversary of South Cotabato, and is
observed every July.

The festivals unique name is attributed to a

popular piece of colorful cloth woven by the
local Tboli women (Tboli is a tribe in the
region). The cloth is known as a tnalak, and is
made of abaca clothing. There are a number of
reasons why this was the choice clothing
among so many options.

Date: July

The Kadayawan Festival is an annual festival in

the city of Davao in the Philippines. Its name
derives from the friendly greeting "Madayaw",
from the Dabawenyo word "dayaw", meaning
good, valuable, superior or beautiful. The festival
is a celebration of life, a thanksgiving for the gifts
of nature, the wealth of culture, the bounties of
harvest and serenity of living. It is held every third
week of August.

Date: August.
The patron fiesta of Tuguegarao City. It is being
celebrated yearly in honor of St. Hyacinth, which
is being venerated at the Ermita de San Jacinto.
Pav-vurulun which means comng together allows
all members of the community to join in the
celebrations from the well applauded street
dancing competitions, drum, bugle and lyre
competitions, beauty pagent, agri-trade fairs and
job fairs, among many others. The highlight of the
event is the outdoor cooking and pancit eating
contest of the Pancit Batil Patung, a local noodle
delicacy in the city.

Date: August.

Our Lady of Peafrancia (Spanish: Nuestra

Seora de Peafrancia in the Philippines, and
Nuestra Seora de la Pea de Francia or Virgen
de la Pea de Francia in Spain) is a wooden
statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated in
Naga City, Bicol, Philippines. The image comes
from the original image enshrined in Salamanca,
Spain. It is currently housed at the Peafrancia
Basilica where every September is held for the
novena festivities in honor of the image as the
principal Patroness and Queen of Bicol.

Date: September

A mythical presentation of how the image of the

Blessed Virgin Mary was mysteriously
transported to Borongan from Portugal and its
connection to the Lady in White who frequented
the Hamorawon Spring and caused its water to
miraculously heal the locals. The festival is held
in line with the celebration of the Fiesta of
Borongan City. Other socio-cultural activities are
likewise held during the week.

Date: September
 A day-long festival highlighting the annual city
fiesta celebration. The main feature is the Bonok-
bonok, an ethnic Mamanua (IPES) dance
performed by the natives during thanks giving,
worship and wedding ceremonies.

The introduction to the celebration of the

Maradjao-Karajao Festival is the Bulawanon
Barangay "Bulawanon" means beautification.
Before the Bonok-bonok festivity held, preliminary
contest between the 22 barangays of Surigao
City and 9 coastal barangays is ongoing to
highlight the month-long festivity that livens up to
the household of each respective family of
Surigao City..

Date: September

Banigan-Kawayan Festival is a showcase of

unique hand woven mats and bamboo crafts
produced by the people of Basey, Samar. It is a
tribute to the native bamboo mats as Agri-tourism
is promoted nationwide.

Date: September

The Iligan Diyandi Festival is the official title for

the citys month long cultural celebration. It
concludes with the feast day of Saint Michael the
Archangel on September 29.
The festival was established to promote Iligans
cultural identity. You see, Cebu has Sinulog,
Davao has Kadayawan, and Iloilo has
Dinagyang. Iligan has none. Of course, Iligan
should have one..

Date: September
The Fiestas del Pilar are an annual festival
celebrated in the city of Zaragoza, Aragon, in
honour of the patron saint of the city, the Virgen
del Pilar (Our Lady of the Pillar). The week long
festival takes places every year, usually,
beginning the weekend of or before 12 October,
and lasts until the following Sunday.

A wide variety of events are organized by the City

Hall, with private companies and organizations
organizing their own sponsored events, shows,
contests, and other activities.

Date: October

The MassKara Festival (Hiligaynon: Pista sang

MassKara, Filipino: Fiesta ng MassKara) is an
annual festival with highlights held every fourth
Sunday of October in Bacolod, Philippines.

Date: October

Buglasan Festival is also known as The

Festivals of Festivals here in Negros Oriental. It
is considered as the grandest celebration that
occurs annually to celebrate camaraderie and
peace among one anothers town and
municipality. Buglasan Festival is the first ever
festival to cater other festivals here in the
Philippines. This week-long celebration is
occurring every year on the month of October.

Date: October
 itik or Duck Festival of Victoria Laguna is done
simultaneously with the towns founding
anniversary every November.

The festival is being held to commemorate how itik

gave honor to the municipality.

One of the highlights of the event is the Itik Festival

street dancing joined by students from public and
private schools.

Date: November

The paru-paro (known as butterfly in English) is a

universal symbol of change, transformation and
celebration. The birth of a butterfly starts with an
egg and becomes a butterfly larva (also known as
a caterpillar) where it grows quickly. It sheds from
its chrysalis and flies off to new life. The butterfly
has a strong correlation to the city.

Date: December