Dinagyang Festival (Iloilo)
written by zoe191
on July 15th, 2008
(1 vote)
The Dinagyang festival of Iloilo is one of the biggest and most colorful religious and cultural festivals in the Philippines. The Dinagyang is held on the fourth Sunday of January every year to honor the Santo Nino (the holy child Jesus) through group dance performances accompanied by drums. Various dance groups called tribes compete for awards such as best performance, best choreography, best costume, and best music.
As one of the best tourism events in the Philippines, the Dinagyang attracts hundreds of local and foreign tourists, especially photographers. The Dinagyang is a three-day celebration that includes a parade, street dancing, beauty pageant, street parties, fireworks competition, exhibits, and booths selling souvenirs, fake tattoos, masks, and many more. If you want to take pictures near the judging area, you need to get a special pass. If you don’t have one, you can wait in the street for the tribes as they walk towards the stage. Actually, this might be even better if you want to get close and have your picture taken with the dancers. There are daily flights from Manila to Iloilo. Hotels and public transportation around Iloilo are also very easy to find.
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