Festivals of Cebu
Cebu is the home of Philippine's Most Colorful and Grandest Festival, the Sinulog Festival. But not known to many, Cebu is also the festival capital of the country, hosting a plethora of celebrations all year round. Check out Cebu's top festivals below.
Sinulog Festival
Cebu City
Every 3rd Sunday of January
Highlights: Fluvial Procession of the Miraculous Image of the Santo Niño, Sinulog Grand Parade, and Street Dancing
Celebrated every 3rd Sunday of January, Sinulog Festival Cebu is the province’s biggest fiesta. It is held in honor of the Señor Sto. Niño. Foreign and local tourists flock to Cebu City for this celebration to join the procession and the grand mardi gras. The highlight of this Cebu City festival is the street dancing. Sinulog Festival is the party you wouldn’t want to miss.
Sinulog Grand Parade
Sunday of the Fiesta Week
Sinulog Grand Parade
Sunday of the Fiesta Week
Sinulog Grand Parade
Sunday of the Fiesta Week
Sinulog Grand Parade
Sunday of the Fiesta Week
Fluvial Procession
Saturday of the Fiesta Week
Fluvial Procession
Saturday of the Fiesta Week
Fluvial Procession
Saturday of the Fiesta Week
Kadaugan sa Mactan
LapuLapu City
April 22-27
Highlights: Reenactment of the Battle of Mactan, Kadaugan Street Dancing and food bazaar
Kadaugan sa Mactan is a weeklong commemoration of the historic battle of Mactan between the Portuguese Explorer and Navigator Fernando Magallanes and Mactan Chieftain Lapu-Lapu. The festival features various activities such as the series of musical productions culminating with the famous battle, food street, and live band entertainment.
Battle of Mactan
April 27
Battle of Mactan
April 27
Rampada Competition
Saturday of the Fiesta Week
Rampada Competition
Saturday of the Fiesta Week
Kadaugan Food Festival
Whole Week
Kadaugan Food Festival
Whole Week
Palawod Festival
Bantayan Island
Last week of June
Highlights: Street Dancing
Bantayan Island is known for its stunning beaches and delicious seafood. The locals’ livelihood and pride is the Bantayan’s gifted sea. Thus, Palawod Festival is all about fishermen and the sea. Palawaod is a Cebuano term which means to go out to fish. The street dancing captures and preserves the locals’ unique traditional fishing rituals inherent to the island through dancing, music and the visual arts.
Halad-Inasal Festival
Talisay City
Every October 14th to 15th
Highlights: Parade of the great personages as higantes and food festival
Inasal Festival is about Talisay City’s historical heritage and identity promoting the city as an aqua and tourist hub. They do this through street dancing as a thanksgiving offering to the city’s patroness, Sta. Teresa de Avila. When attending Inasal Festival, you must not miss the sports fest, parade of the great personages as higantes, and the food festival featuring the famous “inasal” or lechon, the Talisay version.
Sinanggiyaw Festival
Dumanjug
October 4
Highlights: Street dancing and field presentation
The name Sinanggiyaw is derived from two old Cebuano words: “Sinanggi” meaning abundance of harvested agricultural products of our farmers and “Sayaw” meaning dance. During the Sinanggiyaw Festival in Dumanjug, the performers dance lively and gracefully bringing all the Sinanggi performances highlighting these three aspects: planting, harvesting and thanksgiving.
Camotes Cassava Festival
Camotes Island
2nd week of June
Highlights: Cultural night and the search for Miss Camotes Tourism
As the name suggests, Camotes Cassava Festival highlights the pride of the locals which is the cassava-based products. Held every 2nd week of June, this festival of Cebu is a celebration for a bountiful harvest where farmers display their various cassava-based products. What makes this festival more fruitful is that locals share their varied technical experiences in producing and processing cassava products. Among the activities to watch out for are the Best Booth Contest, Poster-making Contest, search for new cassava food products, cultural night and the search for Miss Camotes Tourism.
