This is a list of festivals in the Philippines. The majority of

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...

s in the Philippines, locally known as "''fiestas''", may have their own ''peryas'' (trade fairs with temporary amusement parks). The origin of most early ''fiestas'' are rooted in

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

, dating back to the Spanish colonial period when the many communities (such as '' barrios'' and towns) of the predominantly

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

almost always had a

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

assigned to each of them. Originally encouraged by the Spanish to coincide with Christian holy days, early

patronal festivals A patronal feast or patronal festival ( es, fiesta patronal; pt, festa patronal; ca, festa patronal; it, festa patronale; french: fête patronale) is a yearly celebration dedicated, in countries influenced by Christianity, to the "heavenly advoc ...

became vital instruments in spreading Christianity throughout the country. Festivals in the Philippines can be religious, cultural, or both. Several of these are held to honor the local Roman Catholic patron saint, to commemorate local history and culture, to promote the community's products, or to celebrate a bountiful harvest. They can be marked by

Holy Mass The Mass is the central liturgical service of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, in which bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass, "the same Christ ...

es,

procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

s, parades, theatrical play and reenactments, religious or cultural rituals,

trade fair A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and ...

exhibit Exhibit may refer to: *Exhibit (legal), evidence in physical form brought before the court **Demonstrative evidence, exhibits and other physical forms of evidence used in court to demonstrate, show, depict, inform or teach relevant information to ...

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...

s, pageants and various games and contests. However, festivals in the country are not limited to Christian origins. Many festivals also focus on Islamic or indigenous concepts. There are more than 42,000 known major and minor festivals in the Philippines, the majority of which are in the barangay (village) level. Due to the thousands of town, city, provincial, national, and village fiestas in the country, the Philippines has traditionally been known as the ''Capital of the World's Festivities''. Some festivals, such as

Holy Week Holy Week ( la, Hebdomada Sancta or , ; grc, Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, translit=Hagia kai Megale Hebdomas, lit=Holy and Great Week) is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity. In Eastern Churches, w ...

and

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

, are declared as

public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Sovereign nations and territories observe holidays based on events of significance to their history ...

s, and thus, are observed and celebrated nationwide. __TOC__

List

The partial calendar list contains several of the oldest and larger religious and/or cultural festivals in the country. Each town, city, and village has a dedicated fiesta, resulting in thousands held throughout the year; a few are national in character. Some fiestas may contain multiple/conflicting dates and/or place entries.

January

} and celebrates the farmers' abundant harvest , - , Ati-Atihan Festival , 3rd Sunday ,

Kalibo, Aklan Kalibo, officially the Municipality of Kalibo ( Aklanon: ''Banwa it Kalibo''; Hiligaynon: ''Banwa sang Kalibo''; tgl, Bayan ng Kalibo), is a 1st class municipality and capital of the Province of Aklan, Philippines. According to the 2020 censu ...

, Honours the Santo Niño, and the legendary meeting of the island’a

aboriginal peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

with settlers from

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and ea ...

, - , Batan Ati-Ati Malakara Festival , 3rd weekend ,

Batan, Aklan Batan, officially the Municipality of Batan ( Aklanon: ''Banwa it Batan''; Hiligaynon: ''Banwa sang Batan''; tl, Bayan ng Batan), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Aklan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popul ...

, , - , Sikhayan Festival , 18 ,

Santa Rosa City, Laguna Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...

, Honors the resilience and perseverance of the people of Santa Rosa , - , Dugoy Festival , 18 , Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro , Celebrates unity in nature conservation in Sablayan , - , Feast of San Sebastian Martir , 20 ,

Lumban, Laguna Lumban, officially the Municipality of Lumban ( tgl, Bayan ng Lumban), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. It can reach this town Passing Through Rizal Province via Manila East Road or SLEX. According to the 2020 ...

, Honours the town's patron, Saint Sebastian , - , Longganisa Festival , 22 ,

Vigan City Vigan, officially the City of Vigan ( ilo, Siudad ti Vigan; fil, Lungsod ng Vigan), is a 4th class component city and capital of the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 53,935 people. Lo ...

, Celebrates Vigan's accession to cityhood in 2001 , - , Bulak Festival , 22 , San Ildefonso, Bulacan , Bulak Festival is San Ildefonso's official town festival. Primarily, the festival is celebrated in honor of the town's patron, San Ildefonso but it also gives honor to the "kapok" plant, also known as "bulak" which played a very important part in the town's history. BULAK is actually San Ildefonso's old name when it was still just a barrio under the neighboring town of San Rafael. , - , Feast of San Ildefonso de Toledo , 22–24 ,

Tanay, Rizal Tanay, officially the Municipality of Tanay ( tgl, Bayan ng Tanay ), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 139,420 people. It is located east of Manila, although ...

, Honours the patron of Barangay San Ildefonso,

Saint Ildefonsus In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

. , - , Halamanan Festival , 23 ,

Guiguinto, Bulacan Guiguinto, officially the Municipality of Guiguinto ( tgl, Bayan ng Guiguinto), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 113,415 people. Guiguinto is one of the ...

, Celebrated as a token of gratitude of town residents to Guiguinto's patron saint St. Ildephonsus (San Ildefonso), and showcases the town's garden and landscape industry. , - , Pabirik Festival , January 23 to February 2 ,

Paracale, Camarines Norte Paracale, officially the Municipality of Paracale ( tl, Bayan ng Paracale), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Camarines Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 60,198 people. Paracle’s economy is d ...

, Celebrates the province's gold mining industry , - , Kasadyahan Festival , 4th Saturday , Iloilo City Proper , Showcases the best festivals of the different provinces and towns across the Western Visayas. _{''The date may change soon as it has been separated from the Dinagyang Festival since 2020''} , - , Dinagyang Festival , 4th Sunday ,

Iloilo City Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo ( hil, Siyudad/Dakbanwa sang Iloilo; fil, Lungsod ng Iloilo), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines on t ...

, Honours the Santo Niño and the pact between the island's aboriginal peoples and migrant Bornean

Datu ''Datu'' is a title which denotes the rulers (variously described in historical accounts as chiefs, sovereign princes, and monarchs) of numerous indigenous peoples throughout the Philippine archipelago. The title is still used today, especial ...

s , - , Ibajay Ati-Ati Municipal and Devotional Fiesta , 4th Sunday ,

Ibajay, Aklan Ibajay, officially the Municipality of Ibajay (Aklanon language, Aklanon: ''Banwa it Ibajay''; Hiligaynon language, Hiligaynon: ''Banwa sang Ibajay''; tl, Bayan ng Ibajay), is a 3rd class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Phil ...

, Honours the Santo Niño , - , Kannawidan 'Ylocos' Festival , January 27 to February 12 ,

Ilocos Sur Ilocos Sur, officially the Province of Ilocos Sur ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ilocos Sur; tl, Lalawigan ng Ilocos Sur), is a province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the capital o ...

, , - , Dinagsa Ati-Atihan Festival , Last week , Cadiz, Negros Occidental , , - , Hirinugyaw-Suguidanonay Festival , Last week ,

Calinog, Iloilo Calinog, officially the Municipality of Calinog ( hil, Banwa sang Calinog, krj, Banwa kang Calinog, tgl, Bayan ng Calinog), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population o ...

, , - , Santo Niño de Malolos Festival , Last Sunday ,

Malolos City Malolos, officially the City of Malolos ( fil, Lungsod ng Malolos), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 261,189 people. It is the capital city ...

, Honours the Santo Niño de Malolos , - , Candle Festival , January 31 to February 2 , Candelaria, Quezon , Liturgical

Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary Candlemas (also spelled Candlemass), also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Feast of the Holy Encounter, is a Christian holiday commemorating the presentati ...

or Candlemas according to the

General Roman Calendar The General Roman Calendar is the liturgical calendar that indicates the dates of celebrations of saints and mysteries of the Lord (Jesus Christ) in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, wherever this liturgical rite is in use. These cele ...

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

References

External links

Philippine Festivals and EventsPhilippines Travel HubOfficial Philippine Tourism Website
{{Asia topic, List of festivals in

Philippines Philippines

Festivals A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...