Make 2024 Your Domestic Travel Era and Witness these Festivals Around PH
Make 2024 more memorable by witnessing some famous festivals around the Philippines:
by Ina Louise Manto | December 28, 2023
With 82 provinces and over seven thousand islands, traveling around the Philippines opens many possibilities to see different experiences and sights. There are picturesque highlands with the best mountain views, caves, waterfalls, and unique beaches where you’ll witness the most colorful sunsets. Aside from the usual tourist experiences, the Philippines also has plenty of festivals worth experiencing. If you’re planning to make 2024 your domestic travel era, make it more memorable by witnessing some famous festivals around the Philippines:
January: Sinulog Festival in Cebu City
Usually celebrated on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City, Sinulog is one of the country’s most popular festivals. It honors the Sto. Nino, or the Child Jesus, begins with a fluvial parade. The festival showcases vibrant street dances, costumes, cultural shows, and more. This festival is also known for its street parties!
View the Sinulog Festival schedule of activities here.
February: Kagang Festival in Dapitan City
Aside from religious festivals, the Philippines is rich in festivals celebrating a city or province’s food scene. This includes the Kagang Festival in Dapitan City, which champions kagang, or a certain species of crab found on the shores of seven coastal barangays in the city. The festival began in 2014 to feature the traditional way of cooking kagang and showcase other dishes where it’s the main ingredient.
March: Malasimbo Festival in Puerto Galera
If you love going to concerts, Malasimbo Festival will be right up your alley. Celebrated in Puerto Galera, Malismbo celebrates four pillars: music, arts, environment, and culture. In 2024, there will be performances from local and international musicians, a record label showcase, an arts and kids’ program, a beach stage, and a silent disco. Look forward to appreciating the work of featured visual artists too. Find more information here.
April: Panaad in Camiguin
As a largely Roman Catholic country, many festivals are celebrated during the Holy Week. One includes the Panaad sa Camiguin or simply Panaad. Every year, locals and pilgrims travel to the island to hike around the 64-kilometer circumferential road as a sacrifice for the penance of sins or fulfillment of a vow.
May: Abaca Festival in Catanduanes
If you’re looking into revamping your home or office and championing locally-made handicrafts, the Abaca Festival in Catanduanes would be a great experience. This festival celebrates the aba fiber industry, which is Bicol’s main material for handicrafts. The Abaca Festival is also known as Catanduanes Abaca Festival and is celebrated every fourth week of May.
June: Pili Festival in Sorsogon
Pili is an indigenous crop found in Bicol and is abundant in the city of Sorsogon, thus giving birth to a month-long celebration known as the Pili Festival. The festival highlights its economic uses. There are fun street dances to look forward to during the festival.
July: Sinulog de Tanjay Festival in Negros Oriental
Sinulog de Tanjay Festival is a 10-day fiesta that showcases the origin of the old origin Sinulog celebration. It is a festival you can experience when visiting the city of Tanjay in Negros Oriental. Every year, locals showcase a popular theater performance during the colonial period called moro-moro, a story about the battle of Moros against Christians. This play celebrates the wins of Christians against conquerors (Moros).
August: Pangapog Festival in Samal Island
@csakimjohn 25th Pangapog Festival 2023 . #samal #pangapogfestival #visitsamalisland ♬ original sound – Kim John
Held in Samal Island in Davao, Pangapog Festival is a thanksgiving celebration for a bountiful harvest, which showcases the rich culture and traditions of the people of Samal called the Sama tribe. During the festival, visitors can observe indigenous games and witness culture-based competitions.
September: Lapay Bantigue Festival in Masbate
Lapag Bantigue is a type of folk dance that is inspired by the movements of seagulls or lapay, which are abundant in Brgy. Bantigue, Masbate. The dance celebrates the fishing culture of the barangay, and is an integral part of the Masbate Cityhood Anniversary celebrations.
October: Masskara Festival in Bacolod
Known for the masks worn during street dances, the Masskara Festival in Bacolod is a celebration that has tragic roots. It was the local government’s way of uplifting the locals from the Don Juan Tragedy and sugar can shortage in the 1980s. Since then, the festival has become a major festival in the country, which showcases culture and tradition that proves the province is the City of Smiles.
November: Higantes Festival in Angono, Rizal
The Higantes Festival in Angono will let you appreciate the creativity and talent of its people through the gigantic paper mache effigies that are paraded around the city. During the Spanish occupation, this festival started as a protest or mockery against cruel landowners. According to other sources, the festival is also an expression of gratitude towards the city’s patron saint, St. Clemente.
December: Giant Lantern Festival in Pampanga
The holidays aren’t complete without witnessing gigantic lanterns made by the locals of San Fernando, Pampanga. Every year, barangays compete and showcase unique and awe-inspiring gigantic lantern designs, which are displayed in different locations around the city for viewing.
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