Know Cebu: Five Things Every First Sinulog Festival-Goer Should Know

“The greatness of a culture can be found in its festivals” –Siddarth Katragadda 

Sinulog, Cebu’s grandest festival, has always been known to be the Philippines’ biggest and grandest festival. Established about thirty-eight years ago, the Sinulog festival is a cultural event held every third Sunday of January and is the center of the Santo Niño Catholic celebrations in the Philippines. Heralded as one of the popular festivals in the Philippines, Sinulog is more prominently known to tourists and foreigners for its colourful street parties. However, visitors should know that beyond the rip-roaring parties, wild and crazy events and raucous concerts, Sinulog is first and foremost a religious and cultural honoring of Cebu’s patron saint, Santo Niño.

If you wish to experience Cebu in all of its glory, it is best if you visited during the Sinulog Festival season as you are bound to make momentous memories you would soon reminisce about. So, if you are looking for a slice of culture and a look back at Cebu’s religious history (and maybe do a little partying here and there as well), you better read on and consider some of the things you should definitely know about:

1.)    Month-long celebration 

Essentially, preparations for Sinulog start as early as November and the celebrations last all month long. In this regard, you can expect hotels to be fully-booked for the month of January. So, if you have been looking forward to experiencing your first Sinulog, you better book your Cebu hotel early. The month-long celebration commences on the first Saturday of January which kicks off with a fun run and ends with the awarding ceremonies which typically falls on the last Sunday of the month.

2.)    Señor Santo Niño 

Even if you visit Cebu purely for the street parties, remember that the Sinulog festival and grand parade are being held in honor of Santo Niño de Cebu who was also known as Cebu’s patron saint years prior. He is referred to the “Holy Child of Cebu” and actually has a rich history as to why he coined that name. A statuette of Santo Niño is a ubiquitous object held by street dancers during performances and religious activities.

3.)    Rave Parties 

Apart from the traditional wet street parties (that are undoubtedly filled with people smearing face paint on each other), rave parties are a staple during Sinulog season in Cebu. In fact, during the month of January, you can expect your weekend itineraries to fill up with fun-filled and entertaining nights in clubs and bars everywhere in Cebu. Moreover, on every third Friday every January in Cebu, the biggest rave party Lifedance occurs where not only local DJ’s but international ones as well would perform. In any case, some of the headlining events you should attend apart from LifeDance are Elektro Mundo, Plus 63, ETC Paintensity and Invasion Cebu.

4.)    Attended by Millions 

Whenever January comes around, people would notice an influx of visitors converging in Cebu and usually all for one reason: to celebrate Sinulog and in commemoration of Cebu’s holy child. In any case, you can expect that Sinulog will be attended and watched by millions. As a result, some congestion would inevitably occur as the city will be incredibly packed. Expect traffic and public places to be stuffed with people. Stay alert and try to familiarize yourself with the place so that you would be well-aware of the exit points should there be an emergency.

5.)    Floats 

Apart from the street dancers, you can also expect to see floats as a category in one of the Sinulog Grand Parade’s competition. In fact, it is considered by many as one of the most exciting aspects of the competition. You will be blown away by the gigantic, vibrant and colorful floats that join the parade and would trace the whole carousel route before they make their entrance at the Cebu City Sports Center. Some floats would also have local celebrities aboard them which would make this one of the reasons why it is heavily anticipated by many. 

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