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JANUARY

Ati-Atihan Festival
Date: January 16-22 Location: Kalibo, Aklan
One of the most popular of the Philippine festivals, the Ati-atihan is a celebration in honor of the Sto. Niño. Revelers don colorful costumes and paint their bodies black and dance to the distictive beat of “Hala bira!” around the town.

Pasungay Festival
Date: Every 2nd Saturday of January Location: San Joaquin, Iloilo
A festival of bulls on the hillsides of San Joaquin. Prized bulls from the town and neighboring areas fight amidst wild cheering from spectators.

Sinulog Festival
Date: Every third weekend of January Location: Cebu City, Cebu
The Feast of the Sto. Niño is celebrated in Cebu with a procession, street dancing competition and a fluvial parade. Much like the Ati-atihan, the Sinulog Festival is marked by frenzied reverly to the chant of “Pit Senor!”

Dinagyang Festival
Date: Every fourth weekend of January Location: Iloilo City, Iloilo
Spectacle characterized by a frenetic stomping of feet and hypnotic drumbeating. It is a colorful whirl of thousands of people dressed in unique costumes dancing and chanting all day and night.

Zambulawan Festival
Date: Every third Sunday of January Location: Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur
The founding of Pagadian City showcases the Subanon tribe’s rich cultural heritage by way of songs, dances and exhibits of musical instruments.

FEBRUARY

Feast of Candelaria
Date: February 2 Location: Jara, Iloilo City
The biggest and most opulent religiuos pageanty in Western Visayas. The blessing of candles and the yearly procession of the patroness, the Nuestra Senora de Candelaria is followed by the fiesta queen and her court which highlights the celebration.

Panagbenga Flower Festival
Date: Last week of February Location: Baguio City
The Baguio folks take a break on these days to revel in the cool climate and the unique culture of their city. Multi-hued costumes are worn, mimicking the various blooms of the highland region . Celebrated with shows, concerts, and pageantry of floats made from hundreds of flowers.

MARCH

Parraw Regatta
Date: First Sunday of March Location: Iloilo City
An exciting race among native outriggers in the strait between Guimaras Island and Iloilo City. This is an activity every summer hedged with rules, umpires and kibitzers.

Araw ng Dabaw
March 1- March 16 Location: Davao City
Davao celebrates its birthday in a grand gala fashion befitting the largest city in Mindanao. The Araw ng Dabaw festivities come complete with a jam-packed, seven-day schedule of trade fairs and cultural presentations. There’’s also a colorful civic-military parade and a citywide beauty pageant, featuring the smartest, most charming ladies this side of the islands.

Pintados De Pasi Festival
March 5- March 13 Location: Passi City, Iloilo
It is one of Iloilo’s grandest street festival, the region’s pride that won the grand prize in the 2005 Aliwan Festival in Manila and Iloilo Kasadyahan Over-all Champion

Panagtagbo Festival
March 7 Location: Tagum City
Coincides with the city of Tagum’s founding anniversary. It aptly describes a celebration in the city where Tagumeños met Tagumeños from all walks of life in one occasion and setting since the city of Tagum is a crossroad business center in the northern part of Southern Mindanao.

Strawberry Festival
March 14- March 20 Location: La Trinidad, Benguet
The municipality of La Trinindad in Benguet, known as the Strawberry Capital of the Philippines, will feature the baking of the largest strawberry cake including a trade fair on strawberry products and cutflowers.

Banana Festival
March 18- March 19 Location: Baco, Mindoro Oriental
A celebration of its abundance of banana. It features banana cook fest and a banana (saba) inspired street dancing competition and beauty pageant. this coincides with the town fiestain honor of St. Joseph.

Rodeo Masbateno (LOCAL COWBOYS)
March 20- April 7 Location: Masbate City
Hold on to your horses, caballeros, its rodeo time in Masbate once again! Feel the excitement as our local cowboys pit their brains against bovine brawn in western style rodeo events like bull riding and sterr wrestling.

Turumba
March 21- March 26 Location: Pakil, Laguna
The largest religious activity consisting of 7 fiestas or lupi to commemorate the seven sorrows of Our Lady of Turumba, starting before the Holy Week every nine days thereafter and ends in the month of June and in celebrated with dancing procession.

Gawagaway-yan Festival
March 30- April 13 Location: Cauayan City
Celebrates the cityhood of the City of Canayan in Isabela Province; activities include cultural shows, trade shows, parades and street dancing and variety shows, etc.

APRIL

Via Crusis
Date: April 1 Location: Cebu City
A lenten activity where devotees from Cebu City and its neighboring cities and towns do their penitential procession through cities the Station of the Cross built on 12 hectares of rolling hills. the life-size statues of the 14 Stations of the Cross have been patterned after the Way of the Cross in Lourdes, France.

Pak’kaat Kallo
Date: Holy Week Location: Magpet, Cotabato
An annual feast of the Manobo tribal community of Magpet in celebration of a bountiful harvest.

Moriones Festival
Date: Holy Week Location: Boac, Magpoc, Marinduque
One of the most famous of Philippine festivals. Colorfully garbed and masked as Roman soldiers and centurions, locals reenact the life of Longinus culminating in his beheading. The entire towns of Boac, Morpog and Gasan are virtually converted into huge stages as the story as Longinus unfolds.

Ang Pagtaltal sa Guimaras
Date: Good Friday Location: Jordan, Guimaras
Lenten presentation on the hillside of Jordan with locals as actors. This ala-Oberrammergou event has been attracting hundreds of foreign and domestic tourists: Local devotees’ visit usually culminates in the trek to “Balaan Bukid” or Holy Mountain where a huge cross is planted by the chapel overlooking Guimaras Strait and Iloilo City.

Lamilamihan Festival
Date: 2nd or 3rd Week of April Location: Lamitan, Basilan
A yearly festival coinciding with the founding of Lamitan Municipality; showcases the traditional Yakan customs and traditions, music and dances, and traditional crafts.

Manaoag Pilgrimage
Date: 2nd Week of April Location: Pangasinan
Annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag. Known to local pilgrims / tourists as miraculous, the Virgin’s image has become one of Manaoag’s main attractions. Pilgrims’ vehicles are blessed every Saturday.

MAY

Pista’y Dayat
Date: May 1 Location: Lingayen, Pangasinan
A day of thanksgiving for bountiful harvests and abundant fishing observed all over Pangasinan traditional with mass offering on beautiful beaches and fluvial parade.

Santacruzan
Date: May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Location: Nationwide
The Santacruzan is a procession commemmorating St. Helena’s finding the “True Cross”; preceded by a nine-day Novena in honor of the Holy Cross. On the ninth day, usually on a weekend, the Santacruzan is held. The Reina Elena, accompanied by a little boy representing King Constantine, and the other sagalas representing biblical characters and the attributes of the Blessed Virgin, walk under gaily decorated arches.

Carabao Festival
Date: May 14 - Location: Angono, Rizal
Farmers pay tribute to their patron saints; a procession of carabao carts bearing a myriad local produce is held; prizes are awarded to the strongest and most beautifully decorated carabaos.

Pulillan Carabao Festival
Date: May 14 Location: Pulilan, Bulacan
Hundreds of festively adorned carabaos are paraded by theis farmer-owners on the street leading to the church; there they are made to kneel down homage to San Isidro de Labrado, the patron saint of farmers.

Pahiyas sa Quezon
Date: May 15 Location: Sariaya, Lucban, Tayabas, Quezon
Homes are decked with kiping (multi-colored paper thin, leaf-shaped rice kropeck) and harvested vegetables; trade fair; civic parades, procession and other activities.

Obando Fertility Rites
Date: May 17 to 19 Location: Obando, Bulacan
A three day fiesta celebration in honor of San Pascual, Baylon, Sta. Clara and Nuestra Senora de Salambao. Childless couples, thankful parents, grateful farmers and fishermen dance along the streets together with colorfully customed women to pray for children and a good harvest.

Tapusan sa Kawit
Date: May 30 Location: Kawit, Cavite
A procession of gaily decorated floats decked with flowers of Maytime honors the Blessed Virgin. The participation of the town’s most beautiful young ladies symbolizes the purity and innocence of the Blessed Mother.

Antipolo Pilgrimage
Date: May Location: Antipolo, Rizal
A month-long celebration that brings devotees and pilgrims to venerate the Lady of Peace and Good Voyage enshrined in Antipolo Church and afterwards, picnic to nearby Hinulugang Taktak.

JUNE

Philippine Independence Day Celebration
Date: June 12 Location: Kawit, Cavite
Independence Day Celebration, marked by a flag raising ceremony on the balcony of the Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine, where the first Philippine flag was unfurled.

Parada ng Lechon
Date: June 24 Location: Balayan, Batangas
The parading on the Feast of St. John the Baptist of “dressed” and decorated “lechons” (roasted pigs) around town. Revelers partake of the lechons after the parade.

Pintados Festival
Date: June 29 Location: Tacloban City
Street pageantry and contest focusing on the Leyteños’ old custom of tattooing that signifies courage and status in the community.

JULY

T’nalak Festival
July 13 18 Location: Koronadal City, South Cotabato
An annual celebration in South Cotabato which demonstrates the importance and significance of t’nalak cloth as the cultural image of South Cotabato.

Sandugo Festival
July 16 Location: Tagbilaran City, Bohol
Bohol’s annual commemoration of the Blood compact (mardi gras parade) between Rajah Sikatuna and Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.

Paaway sa Kabayo (Horsefight)
Date: July 25 and December 25 Location: Tanjay, Negros Orriental
An exciting, thrilling and oftentimes bloody fight among studs for supremacy over a female horse. More than 100 horses have been trained solely for this twice a year event.

Bocaue River Festival
Date: First Sunday of July Location: Bocaue, Bulacan
A famous river festival held in honor of the miraculous Cross of Bocaue (Krus ng Wawa). During the fluvial procession, devotees ride in the “pagoda” and douse each other with water.

Manyaman Festival
July 29 30 Location: Bayanihan Park, Clark Special Economic Zone, Pampanga
It is a two-day event that will showcase the Pampanga’’s best offerings - from food, furniture, designs and culture - all under one major affair. “Manyaman” is a Kapampangan word for “masarap” (delicious).

AUGUST

Bakasi Festival
August 6 12 Location: Cordova, Cebu
The festival is a unique reinvention of the Dinagat festival. The exotic eel locally known as ”bakasi” is pecullar and abundant in Cordova.

Coron Festival
August 15- August 17 Location: Tiwi, Albay
“Coron” is a Bicol dialect meaning clay-pot or potteries of which the town of Tiwi is popularly known for. Thus, the festival’s main feature is the municipalities pottery industry which is done with skills passed from parents to children and perfected through long years of practice without the benefit of written manuals.

Rajah Baguinda Festival
Date: 2nd Week of August Location: Jolo, Sulu
A three-day cultural show and festivites commemorating the arrival of Rajah Baguinda who was responsible for the spread of Islam and reinforcing the Sultanate Government in the Sulu Archipelago.

Kadayawan sa Dabaw
Date: 3rd Week of August Location: Davao City
A celebration of the bountiful harvests of fruits and orchids during the season. Activities include fruit and flower show, trade fair, tribal/civic/military parade, traditional sports activities, horsefight, Search for B’yaneng Kadayawan and street dancing.

Tsinelas Festival
August 25 Location: City of Gapan, Nueva Ecija
To mark the anniversary of the town’s cityhood, Gapan City holds its annual Tsinelas Festival, with street dancing, parade of floats decorated with regular to gigantic 7 ft. slippers the famous slippers bazaar. Thefestival is aimed at bolstering the new city’s claim as the North Slippers Capital.

SEPTEMBER

Tuna Festival sa GenSan
September 3- September 5 Location: General Santos City
The festival is about revelry and gaiety giving back the glory to the ocean for the abundance and bounty of tuna.

Sapatos Festival
September 9 Location: Marikina River Park
This is a celebration of the ingenuity and craftsmanship of our own SAPATEROs. It gives due importance to their hardship and the local shoe industry itself.

Lemlunay (T’Boli Tribal Festival)
Date: September 16-18 Location: Lake Sebu, South Cotabato
An annual authentic T’boli tribal festival staged at Lake Sebu. Features tribal rituals that start at early down amidst sounds of gongs and native music, culminating at the town plaza where cultural dances and ethic sports like horsefight are held.

Feast of Nuestra Senorra Penafrancia
Date: 3rd Saturday of September Location: Naga City, Camarines Sur
A religious festival held in hornor of the Feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia. Bicol’s most revered patrones highlighted by the fluvial procession of the Lady’s image down the Bicol river. The week-long-celebration includes civic-military parade, sportsfests, exhibits, cultural shows, beauty pageants and colorful competitions.

Anihan Festival
September 24- September 30 | Dueñas, Iloilo
Celebrated with the town’s patronal fiesta, the festival features the town’s culture and traditions as observed by their forefathers in celebrating their bountiful harvest.

OCTOBER

Kinilaw Festival
First Week of October Location: Surigao City
A festival showcasing different styles in preparing a “Kinilaw” (raw fish delicacy). It also features the variety of fish, seafoods and other marine products in the locality.

Lubi-Lubi Festival
October 8 Location: Glan, Sarangani Province
A festival showing various uses of the coconut tree and its by products through dances and street revelry.

Masskara Festival
Date: October 19 Location: Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
The biggest annual event that reflects the Bacoleños love for fun and gaiety. Coinciding with Bacolod City’s charter day celebration, the festival features sports competitions, cultural programs, carnivals, beauty contest and a long Mardi grasstyle costumed and masked street dancers.

Ibalong Festival
Date: October 19-22 Location: Legaspi City
A celebration depicting Bicol’s early beginnings as portrayed in the “Ibalong” epic that tells of super heroes Handiong, Batlog and Oryol and villains and wild animals that roamed in the ancient times. In music and dances, revelers parade on the main streets wearing masks of these heroes and villains. Festival activities include tours, trade fairs, exhibits and beauty pageants.

La Naval De Manila
Date: 2nd Sunday of October Location: Sto. Domingo, Quezon City
A festival revolving around the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary of La Naval carved in 1533 and given as a gift to the Dominican Fathers. Borne on an elaborately decorated and well-lit carriage in the form of a ship, the venerated image is brought out of the church preceded by a dozen or so images of Dominican saints. The procession goes around the main streets of Sto. Domingo parish and then returns to the church amidst applause until it reaches the altar pedestal.

Lanzones Festival
Third week of October Location: Camiguin
A street dancing extravaganza featuring Camiguin’’s favorite fruit - the Lanzones.

Aswang Festival
October 29- October 30 Location: Roxas City
A festival organized by Dugo Capiznon, Inc. determined to change the negative notion of Capiz being an Aswang haven and turn it into an advantage. The festival intends to eclipse the aswang impression with the world-class quality of Capiz’ seafood products and warm captivating hospitality of the Capicenos.

Holy Month of Ramadhan
October 00- November 00 | (date movable) Regionwide
Start of the month-long fasting of Muslims, Ramadhan as one of the pillars of Islam’’s Religous and Cultural Activities.

Eid’l Fitr
October 00- November 00 | (date movable) Regionwide
A worldwide festival celebrating the end of one-month fasting period of the holy month of Ramadhan by the Muslims which includes our Muslim brothers in Region XII. Activities includes mobile “Takbir”, Quran Reading, Fireworks Display, PAGANA and Food Giving.

NOVEMBER

Pintaflores Festival
Forst Sunday of November Location: San Carlos City, Negros Occidental
The emerging festival of San Carlos City, highlighs the traditional fiesta celebration in honor of its patron Saint San Carlos Borromeo on the first week of November. It features street dancing by “tribes” dressed in colorful ethnic-inspired costumes, their bodies painted with flower designs reminiscent of the tattoed Visayans of the Pre Spanish Negros

Helobong Festival (T’BOLI)
November 9 11 Location: Lake Sebu, South Cotabato
One of the prettiest places in the Philippines becomes even more attractive this month, as its native residents celebrate a week-long cultural fiesta. See the T”Boli culture in its colorful best through the natives” traditional songs, dances and crafts.

Feast of San Clemente/Higantes Festival
Date: November 22-23 Location: Angono, Rizal
Angono’s joyous fiesta in honor of San Clemente whose image, resplendent in papal vestment, is borne by male devotees during a procession accompanied by “pahadores (devotees dressed in colorful local costumes, wooden shoes and carrying boat paddles) and higantes” (giant paper mache effigies) The street event culminates in a fluvial procession in Laguna de Bay amidst revelry that continues until the image is brought back to its sanctuary.

Pawikan Festival
November 22- November 27 Location: Morong, Bataan
Pawikan Festival in Brgy. Nagbalayong, Morong was organized to intensify the information campaign and generate public awareness on the importance of endangered baby Olive Ridley turtles (Lepidochelys Olivacea are the smallest in the world) in our eco-system

Grand Cordillera Festival
Date: November Location: Baguio City
One of the region’s major events held annualy featuring the gathering of tribes in a week-long event to”celebrate life” marked by tribal dancing and performances of thanksgiving rituals.

DECEMBER

Marian Procession
Date: December 8 Location: Intramuros, Manila
A revival of religious tradition with more than 60 images of the Blessed Virgin Mary from various parishes and provinces paraded.

Pagdidiwata
Date: December 8 Location: Puerto Princessa, Palawan
A thanks giving celebration by the Tagbanua natives of Palawan in ritual dances and food offerings to their deities and souls of departed kin

Feast of the Immaculate Concepcion
Date: December 8 Location: nationwide
An Eucharistic celebrabration of the Feast Day of the La Immaculada, patroness of Intramuros, capped by a grand procession of more than 50 Marian images from all over the country and participated in by thousands of devotees.

Bikol Pastores
Date: December 18 Location: Legazpi City, Albay
A unique Christmas celebration believed to have originated in the province where “pastores” - young men and women dressed in colorful shepherd costumes - joyfully dance and sing “Pastores a Belen” through the city streets.

San Fernando Giant Lantern Festival
Date: December Location: Ermita, Manila
A fiesta in honor of one of the oldest Marian images in the country (it was found by Legazpi’s soldiers amidst the foliage of a pandan shrub on the shores of Ermita in 1571) - the La Nuestra Señora de Guia, patroness of seafarers and also known as Our Lady of Expectations. The main event of the fiesta is the Bota de Flores, a reenactment of a select group of young ladies and their escorts in sailor costumes of theprocession returning the La Nuestra Señora de Guia to its reconstructed shrine in 1918.

Binirayan Festival
Date: December 28-30 Location: San Jose, Antique
A festive commemoration of an episode in the history of the Filipino race through colorful pageants acted on the beaches of Maybato in San Jose and Malandog in Hamtik. Particularly interesting is the drama of the first Malay settlement at malandog which runs for several days and nights. Binirayan is also an occasion of reunion with families, relatives and friends of homecoming Antiqueno expatriates.

Source: Department of Tourism | Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation (PCVC)