Festivals in the Philippines in January

📍 Kalibo, Aklan

🗓️ Week-long, culminating on the third Sunday of January

Kalibo's fiesta for the Santo Niño, where revelers in soot-blackened faces and tribal costumes dance to drums through the streets. Aklan's January Ati-Atihan season is its biggest draw.

📍 City of Ilagan, Isabela

🗓️ Late January (about one week)

Isabela's scarecrow (bambanti) festival at the Capitol, with a village of giant scarecrows from every town, street-dance showdown, food contests and the Queen Isabela pageant.

📍 Romblon, Romblon

🗓️ Second week of January (Santo Niño feast)

Romblon town's Santo Niño fiesta, with street dancing and a fluvial procession of decorated boats carrying the image around the harbor.

📍 Tangub City, Misamis Occidental

🗓️ December 1 to early January

Tangub's month-long display of giant lighted Christmas symbols and replicas of world landmarks put up by agencies and barangays, running since 1992.

📍 Cadiz City, Negros Occidental

🗓️ Mid to late January (Jan 16–26 in 2026), street dance near the end

Cadiz City's Santo Niño festival with Ati-Atihan-style street dancing by painted, costumed tribes, culminating in a street-dance competition and fiesta Mass.

📍 Iloilo City, Iloilo

🗓️ Fourth weekend of January; Ati tribe competition on the fourth Sunday

Iloilo City's Santo Niño festival, known for highly choreographed Ati 'tribes' in elaborate costumes performing to drumbeats in a judged street-dance competition.

📍 Manila (Quiapo), Metro Manila – City of Manila, First District

🗓️ January 9, after a novena from Dec 31; procession starts at dawn

Barefoot devotees by the millions escort the Black Nazarene from Quirino Grandstand back to Quiapo Church. The procession often lasts more than 20 hours. Liquor and gun bans apply and roads close.

📍 Manila (Tondo), Metro Manila – City of Manila, First District

🗓️ Third Sunday of January; Lakbayaw street-dance procession the day before

Tondo's feast honors one of the country's oldest Santo Niño images. The Lakbayaw (lakbay + sayaw) procession brings dozens of dance groups to the streets around the church, now a minor basilica.

📍 City of San Fernando, Pampanga

🗓️ Competition in mid-December; lantern exhibitions until about Jan 1

Barangays compete with roughly 20-foot parol lanterns whose thousands of bulbs flash in patterns timed to music. San Fernando calls itself the Christmas Capital of the Philippines.

📍 Koronadal City, South Cotabato

🗓️ Early January, up to the January 10 founding anniversary

Koronadal City's founding anniversary festival, a week of street dancing, merrymaking and city events.

📍 Ibajay, Aklan

🗓️ Late January, the weekend after Kalibo's Ati-Atihan

Ibajay's own Santo Niño fiesta, which locals call the original and more traditional Ati-Atihan: smaller, less commercial, with costumed tribes dancing through town.

📍 Vigan City, Ilocos Sur

🗓️ Late January to mid-February, with Ilocos Sur's founding anniversary

Ilocos Sur's provincial festival of Ilocano culture: procession at St. Paul Cathedral, street dancing, boodle fights, heritage and trade exhibits.

📍 Iloilo City, Iloilo

🗓️ Fourth Saturday of January, the day before the Dinagyang Ati contest

The provincial 'festival of festivals' held during Dinagyang week, where contingents from Iloilo towns perform their own festival dances in a street competition.

📍 Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental

🗓️ About a week in mid-January, around the province's founding anniversary

Misamis Oriental's provincial festival named after the kuyamis coconut: street dancing by the towns, booths, a food expo and the Miss Kuyamis pageant.

📍 Navotas City, Metro Manila – Third District

🗓️ January, around Navotas Day (founding anniversary, Jan 16)

Navotas celebrates its fishing industry with a street-dance and float parade from City Hall, part of the city's founding-anniversary program.

📍 Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur

🗓️ Week leading to the third Sunday of January (Jan 12–19 in 2026)

Pagadian's thanksgiving fiesta for the Señor Santo Niño: novena Masses, a fluvial procession, and street dancing and ritual dance competitions between barangays.

📍 Maasin City, Southern Leyte

🗓️ Third Sunday of January (moved to Jan 25 in 2026 due to a storm)

Maasin City's Santo Niño festival with a fluvial procession of decorated boats, street dancing and giant-puppet (higante) competitions.

📍 Cebu City, Cebu

🗓️ Third Sunday of January, with novena masses the 9 days before

Cebu's biggest festival honoring the Santo Niño: a fluvial procession, a huge solemn procession and an all-day grand parade of street-dance contingents performing the sinulog prayer-dance.

📍 Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental

🗓️ Mid-January, about 10 days (Jan 10–19 in 2025)

Kabankalan's Santo Niño festival, one of the oldest Sinulog celebrations outside Cebu, known for its warrior-themed ritual street dancing and Miss Sinulog pageant.

📍 Tagbilaran City, Bohol

🗓️ Mid-January

Bohol's celebration of ubi (purple yam), a provincial staple: an agricultural fair with ubi varieties, products and cooking contests.

📍 Vigan City, Ilocos Sur

🗓️ Third week of January, around Vigan's cityhood day (Jan 22)

Vigan's city fiesta built around its garlicky longganisa: street dancing, cook-offs and food stalls at Plaza Burgos, ending with the feast of St. Paul on Jan 25.