The Unique Philippine Festivals You Won’t Want To Miss

 1. Panagbenga Festival 

The word “Panagbenga” in Filipino means “hundred flowers bloom”. Unlike other festivals, the Panagbenga Flower Festival lasts up to a month, with peak activity on weekends.

The festival is held every February in Baguio City. At this time, the streets will be filled with splendidly decorated florists and beautiful dancers, ideal for those who like the summer and the beauty of flowers.

2. Moriones Festival

The Moriones Festival on the island of Marinduque (Philippines) lasts a week, from April 14-20, called the Holy Week. This is the most important holiday for Filipinos.

On the days of the festival, local people will wear masks, dressed in unique costumes and masked with strange animals, simulating the image of the Roman soldiers. In their hands they will carry a wooden weapon to reproduce the previous battles. You can also find statues of Roman warriors in real-life proportions at the harbor of Balanacan.

3. Aliwan Fiesta

Aliwan Fiesta, an annual event held in Manila, Philippines, last week in April.

Aliwan Fiesta was first celebrated in 2003 by Manila Bradcasting and the Philippine Cultural Center.

4. Pahiyas Festival

Held on May 15 of each year, Pahiyas is one of the most celebrated festivals in the Philippines. Like hundreds of other national festivals, this is also a celebration to honor a saint. The Pahiyas are celebrated in honor of St. Isidro Labrador, the saint who gave the farmer a harvest.

This festival is held in Lucban, Sariaya, Tayabas and other towns in Quezon Province, south of Manila.

5. Pintados Festival

Along with the Sangyaw Festival, the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival takes place in June every year in the city of Tacloban, which is not only the economic center of the region and one of the fastest growing cities in the Philippines.

The most exciting activities at the Pintados Festival are the celebrations of the city’s cultural and religious traditions, the introduction of local talent, creativity and fun with parades and street dances and contests.

6. Kadayawan Festival

Kadayawan Festival is an annual festival held in the third week of August in Davao City, Philippines. The name of the festival is specially originated from the friendly greeting “Madayaw” from Dabawenyo from “dayaw”, which means nice, valuable, tall or beautiful.

The festival is a celebration of beautiful life, a Thanksgiving for the gift of nature, the wealth of culture, the fruits of the harvest and the serenity of life.

7. MassKara Festival

MassKara – a festival of smiles held every October in the city of Bacolod, Visayas, Philippines. The name MassKara is a combination of the English word “mass” – many Spanish and “cara” – face. So, MassKara means “a lot of smiling faces”. This explains the highlight of the festival is the mask with a bright smile.

Today, the MassKara festival has become one of the most important Filipino festivals, attracting many locals as well as tourists to attend.