Festivals in the Philippines in May

📍 Virac, Catanduanes

🗓️ Late May (dates have shifted between years)

Catanduanes, the Abaca Capital of the Philippines, celebrates the fiber: float parade, festival dance contest, pinukpok (abaca cloth) fashion show and trade fair.

📍 Butuan City, Agusan del Norte

🗓️ May, culminating on May 19

Butuan celebrates the ancient balangay boats unearthed in the city, among the oldest watercraft found in Southeast Asia, with cultural events and festivities.

📍 Loboc, Bohol

🗓️ May 23–24

Loboc's religious music festival honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe: dancers play drums (bolibong) and gongs (kingking) in rhythm through the streets of the river town.

📍 Pavia, Iloilo

🗓️ Early May (traditionally May 3)

Pavia's farmers' festival since 1971: carabaos in headdresses pull decorated bamboo sleds (carrozas) in a parade, followed by carabao races and a festival queen contest.

📍 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya

🗓️ Late May, around Nueva Vizcaya's founding anniversary

Nueva Vizcaya's provincial festival (formerly Panagyaman), gathering its Ilocano, Ifugao, Gaddang and other communities for street dancing, a food and coffee fair and weaving showcases.

📍 Lake Sebu, South Cotabato

🗓️ Late May, three days (May 29–31 in 2024); was held in November in earlier years

Lake Sebu's T'boli festival of merrymaking ("helobung"), with indigenous dance and music and a spotlight on the town's Manlilikha ng Bayan master artists.

📍 Naval, Biliran

🗓️ May 11, Biliran provincehood anniversary (cancelled in 2026)

Province-wide celebration of Biliran's founding as a province, with festivities centered in the capital, Naval.

📍 Catarman, Northern Samar

🗓️ Late May to mid-June, ending near the June 19 founding anniversary

Northern Samar's month-long anniversary festival with a float parade, agri-tourism trade fair and a festival-of-festivals contest among the province's towns.

📍 Pili, Camarines Sur

🗓️ Last week of May, around the province's founding anniversary

Camarines Sur's provincial festival ('kaogma' means joy) at the Capitol in Pili: concerts, parades, mud races, food fairs and the Miss Kaogma pageant.

📍 Pulilan, Bulacan

🗓️ May 14, eve of the feast of San Isidro Labrador

Hundreds of decorated carabaos parade through Pulilan and kneel on command in front of the San Isidro Labrador church as thanks for the harvest.

📍 Legazpi City and Albay towns, Albay

🗓️ Month-long in May (the 2026 edition was cancelled)

Albay's provincial festival named after Daragang Magayon, the legend behind Mayon Volcano: street dancing, a pageant, trade fairs and faith-tourism events.

📍 Jordan, Guimaras

🗓️ About 10 days in mid–late May, around provincehood day (May 22)

Guimaras's mango festival timed with its provincehood anniversary: a parade, trade fair and the popular eat-all-you-can mango sessions featuring the island's famously sweet mangoes.

📍 Mandaue City, Cebu

🗓️ Around May 7, Mandaue's fiesta for St. Joseph the Worker

Mandaue City's fiesta festival named after the mantawi vine, a symbol of the city's unity, with street dancing and civic parades.

📍 Tayabas City, Quezon

🗓️ About May 7–15; Hagisan ng Suman on May 15

Tayabas' San Isidro fiesta. Thousands of suman (rice cakes) and other produce are thrown from the Casa Comunidad balcony and houses to the crowd during the procession.

📍 Obando, Bulacan

🗓️ May 17–19, one day each for three patron saints

Devotees dance in procession for San Pascual Baylon, Santa Clara and Nuestra Señora de Salambao, asking for a spouse or a child.

📍 Lucban, Quezon

🗓️ May 15, feast of San Isidro Labrador

Lucban houses along the procession route are decked out in colored kiping (rice wafers), fruit and vegetables as thanks for the harvest. Best seen early before the crowds build.

📍 Lazi, Siquijor

🗓️ Mid-May, during the Lazi town fiesta

Lazi's banana harvest festival: street dances act out the fruit's cycle from planting to harvest, coinciding with the fiesta of the town known for its heritage church and convent.

📍 Glan, Sarangani

🗓️ Around the third weekend of May

Large beach festival at Gumasa Beach in Glan with concerts, water sports and fireworks, plus coastal cleanups for the protected Sarangani Bay seascape.

📍 Kalibo, Aklan

🗓️ Around April 25 (provincial founding), activities into early May

Aklan's founding-anniversary celebration at the Kalibo capitol, with a fiber festival and trade fair showcasing piña cloth and abaca weaving, plus food and agricultural fairs and a fashion show.

📍 Antipolo City, Rizal

🗓️ Overnight April 30 to May 1; Maytime fiesta and Sumakah fest in May

Hundreds of thousands walk about 24 km from Quiapo to the shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage. The Sumakah street festival (suman, mangga, kasoy, hamaka) follows on May 1.

📍 Dagupan City, Pangasinan

🗓️ April to May 1; Bangusan street party on April 30

Dagupan's milkfish festival, with a street party where thousands of bangus are grilled along the highway and a closing at Tondaligan beach.

📍 Daet, Camarines Norte

🗓️ Mid-April to early May, with the provincial founding anniversary

Camarines Norte's founding-anniversary festival, also marking the 1898 Daet Revolt. Surfing cup, arnis festival, music festival and street dancing.

📍 Iba, Zambales

🗓️ April or May, at mango season's peak (May 21–24 in 2025)

Zambales' mango festival centered on the Capitol in Iba: fun run, mango congress, cooking contests, street dancing and a closing float parade.

📍 San Jose, Occidental Mindoro

🗓️ Indak Pandurucan street dance Apr 29; festival day May 1

San Jose's town festival: the Indak Pandurucan street-dancing competition, then a lantern parade and concerts at the municipal plaza.

📍 Lingayen, Pangasinan

🗓️ April into early May, culminating May 1 at the Capitol beachfront

Pangasinan's 'festival of the sea' thanks the sea for its bounty. It ends with a thanksgiving Mass and street-dance showcase at Lingayen's Capitol beachfront, and the Limgas na Pangasinan pageant runs alongside.

📍 Tagbilaran City, Bohol

🗓️ Late April events, culminating May 1 (feast of St. Joseph the Worker)

Tagbilaran City's fiesta festival for St. Joseph the Worker, with a street-dancing showdown, fluvial parade, pageant and the Maoy sa Mayo concert.

📍 San Jose de Buenavista, Antique

🗓️ Mid-April to May 1, feast of St. Joseph the Worker

The provincial capital's thanksgiving festival for its patron St. Joseph the Worker, revived after the pandemic with street dancing and town fiesta events.

📍 Pakil, Laguna

🗓️ April–May; dates move each year with the Lenten calendar

Pakil's devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows (Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de Turumba), with dancing processions where devotees sing and sway behind the image.

📍 Vigan City, Ilocos Sur

🗓️ Last week of April to the first week of May

Vigan's arts festival, named after the beating of cotton for abel weaving: Binatbatan street dancing, a calesa parade, Santacruzan, an abel fashion show and art in the park.