Cebu City Calendar of Activities and Events

January
› Miss Cebu Cultural & Beauty Pageant
› SinulogFestival (Sinulog Sa Barangay) - Celebrated every 3rd Sunday, Feast of Señor Sto.Niño

February
› Cebu Charter Day Celebration, February 24
› Cebu X International Furniture & Furnishing Exhibition

March
› Visayas Travel & Tour
› Lenten Season
› Buhing Kalbaryo - (Holy Week)
› Via Crucis-Banawa Hills

April
› Tres De Abril Enactment-April 3
› Araw ng Kagitingan-April 9

May
› Santa Cruzan
› Phil. Heritage & Museum Month
› Flag Day - May 28

June
› Tartanilla Festival - June 1
› Independence Day - June 12
› Rizal Day - June 19
› Pasiyo sa Kabilin - June 25
› Tourism Congress - TBA
› Cebu Business Month - Movable

July
› Nutrition Month
› Fruits & Vegetables Festival at City Hall ground

August
› National Heroes Week

September
› Don Sergio Osmena Day - September 9

October
› Octoberfest

November
› Queen City International Run - 4th Sunday of the month
› Andres Bonifacio Day/ Exhibit at Cebu City Museum - November 30

December
› Pasko sa Sugbo (whole month) @ Fuente Osmena & Plaza Independencia
› Christmas Food Street Festival - Movable
› Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal




Department of Tourism (DOT) Calendar of Activities and Events


January

Sinulog Festival
Get into the beat of Cebu's biggest fiesta!

There's street dancing, face painting, party events, show bands, fireworks, a Mardi Gras Parade and more! The feast of the Sto. Niño falls on the third Sunday of January but the whole week leading up to the day is full of revelry and events.

The heart of the Sinulog is the devotion to the Holy Child, whose miraculous image is greeted with cries of Pit Señor! and Viva Señor Sto. Niño!

Thousands of pilgrims walk in prayer behind His carroza in religious processions, and fill the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño.

Other visitors come for the carnival atmosphere of the Sinulog Grand Parade best enjoyed by shaking loose and dancing along to the beat.

Must See & Do
• Fluvial Parade of decorated boats
• Sinulog Grand Parade
• Exhibit of Sto. Nino icons
• Annual Sto. Nino solemn foot procession
• Ms Cebu pageant
• Welcome party for balikbayans
• Cebu Pop Music Festival

 

February

Big Bang!
Marvel at the artistry of Cebuano furniture makers in the annual Cebu International Furniture Show.

Dubbed "Cebu X", the exhibit attracts buyers from around the world who find uncommon beauty in the use of indigenous materials - rattan, bamboo, shells, and buri.

Chinese New Year
Welcome the new lunar year with traditional Chinese fanfare-dragon dances, fireworks, tikoy rice cakes and moon cakes. A vibrant Filipino-Chinese community here celebrates with a bang.

March

Passion of Lent
Bantayan Island is an ideal getaway during the Holy Week. Relax in white beaches and sample the quiet town life. The town is famous for its annual procession of carrozas bearing life-size statues of Bible characters depicting the passion and death of Jesus Christ. Relive the last days at Calvary in passion plays and street dramas where actors sing and play the roles of Jesus Christ and His disciples.

Must See & Do
• Sugat (Ester Dawn Procession)
• Visita Iglesia (Church visits)
• Via Crucis (Stations of the Cross)

Soli-Soli Festival
Weaving and dancing come together as the town of San Francisco in the Camotes islands honors its patron, Saint Joseph. The celebration takes its name from soli-soli, a local grass used to make mats, bags, hats and other native products.

Mt. Manuggal Trek
Hike to the peak where the plane of the late President Ramon Magsaysay crashed on March 17, 1957. It's an annual summer event for mountainers and non-climbers, a day to enjoy picnics and the cool breeze of the hills of Tabunan, Cebu City.

April

Battle of Mactan
Relive the victory of Lapu-Lapu, hero of the Battle of Mactan. A beach on Mactan island is the annual scene of the reenactment every April 27. Mock battles are fought with swords, tribal warriors and canon fire. This is where explorer Ferdinand Magellan and invading Spanish forces were defeated in1521.

Jewels Under the Sea
Explore wonders of the underwater world all along Cebu's coast. Dive spots off Mactan Island and Moalboal town have steep drop-offs, coral gardens and marine life that thrill the experienced diver or enthusiastic beginner.

Sun-kissed Malapascua
A beachcomber's paradise with its white sand and unspoiled coast, the island of Malapascua is cubbed "little Boracay" in travel guidebooks.

 

May

Countryside Fiestas
Take a bite of the golden fruit picked right off the trees in a tour of mango and flower farms in Cebu's hillylands. Feast your eyes in fields of roses, chrysanthemums and cut flowers in full bloom. Discover a refreshing haven in the uplands of Cebu City where you can stop by roadside markets to make your choice.

Flores De Mayo
Celebrated all over the islands in honor of the Virgin Mary.

Little "angels" sing Ave Maria in church and offers flower at the altar. Watch the Santacruzan parade where matrons and lasses are assigned Biblical roles and walk under floral arches in tiaras and ternos or Filipiniana gowns.

Mantawi Festival
Mandaue City celebrates the feast of its patron, Saint Joseph, on May 8 and its history as a Port City.

Catch the colorful street parade with floats, street dancing, and papier-mache higantes, all flowing to a vigorous drumbeat.

The festival is named after mantawi, a vine that used to flourish in the area.

 

June

Echo-Adventure
Explore the great outdoors. Trek, hike, go camping, climb, swim. Try bird watching in Olango island, an internationally listed bird sanctuary in Mactan where flocks of migratory birds stop to rest.

Must See & Do
• Dolphin and whale whale watching (Bohol)
• Exploring caves, mountains and waterfalls (Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor)
• Island-hoping on motorized banca

Sugbayanihan
The longest barbecue grill in the country is fired up in Cebu City. Over a kilometer-long row of sinugba quickly stirs up the apetite just by the sight and aromas of cooking everyone's favorite street food.

Price off
Cebuano retail merchants take chunks off tag prices in celebration of Cebu Business Month. Check out warehouses that hold export overruns and some of the biggest name brands in clothing.

Pasiyo Sa Kabilin
A heritage walk on June 25, 2009 with the aim of visiting the different museums and heritage sites in Cebu City

 

July

Sandugo Festival
Nearby Bohol province celebrates the historic Blood Compact that sealed the friendship of Raja Sikatuna and Miguel Lopez de Legazpi of Spain. Join street parades, family style banquets and merrymaking

Must See & Do
• Panglao island's beaches
• The world-famous Chocolate Hills
• Loboc river raft cruise
• Tarsier sanctuary

Badian Basket Fair
Explore markets for Badian's best woven products. Then refresh yourself in the gushing waters of multi-level pools of the Kawasan Falls.

August

Southern Grace
Drive south and visit beautiful, century-old Augustinian stone churches along the coastline in towns of Argao, Carcar, Dalaguete, Oslob, Alcoy and Boljoon.

Landmarks
Walk through historic and cultural landmarks in the heart of Cebu City - Fort San Pedro, Plaza Independencia and the new Malacanang of the South.

Stroll down the old Parian quarter to Casa Gorordo museum, the Magellan's Cross and the Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino.

Dinagat Festival
Cordova town's fishermen and their wives dance in thanksgiving for the bounty of the sea. Using nets, bancas and fishing implements for props, they also dance in the streets to honor their patron saint, San Roque.

 

September

Go Shop
As the years enters the "ber" months before Christmas, retailers make sure the whole September offers a lot of bargains.

Siquijor
Visit the mystical and healing island of Siquijor province.

Discover its caves and beach coves, bell towers and natural springs. Sept. 12 is the province's Charter Day, kicking off a week of events.

The island attracts folk healers especially in summer.

Orchid Festival
Orchid growers bring out their award-winning blooms. See them in private gardens or in special exhibits around the shopping malls.

 

October

Lechon Festival
One year, Talisay hosts a proud festival of its trademark lechon.

Stuffed with herbs and spices, the roasted pig of Talisay City has crispy skin and meat so tasty that no sauce is needed except a dip of vinegar and crushed garlic.

Local lechon makes jealously guard their recipes. Savor the mainstay of the Filipino banquet table.

Find out why Talisay deserves to be the lechon capital of the Philippines.

Green Challenge
Fore! Head for the sprawling greens of Cebu's premier golf courses. Six championship golf courses are spread out in the island.

 

November

Lapu-Lapu Fiesta
Join colorful rites to honor the Birhen sa Regla (Virgin of the Rule), patron of Lapu-Lapu City. Boats set to sea with the Marian image in a flower-decked boat. All roads lead to old "Opon" for banquets. Churches overflow with devotees.

Kabkaban Festival
Showcase of Carcar town's heritage and its best-known product-shoes. An 11-foot-tall leather boot in one parade almost made it to the Guinnes World Book of Records

Spanish colonial houses owned by the town's first families give a glimpse of its rich past.

Queen City International Run
Not a race, but a fun sport event in Cebu City that has been attracting foreign and local participants too since it started in 2002. Prize money awaits those who cross the finish line. Runners like to dress up in costumers.

 

December

Pasko sa Sugbu
There's nothing like a Pinoy Christmas!

It starts as soon as the belen is installed at home. Then the holiday lights and parol lanterns go up, brightening the evening for strollers.

In Fuente Osmena park, a towering Christmas tree rises.

Get up early to join the nine daily dawn Masses or misa de gallo.

Warm the chill afterward with sips of hot native chocolate and bibingka rice cakes.

It's great to be home for Christmas - which stretches on till New Year's Eve. Three king's Day, and before you know it, the Sinulog in mid-January.

Must See, Must Do
• Pasko sa Sugbu street decor contest in V. Rama Ave.
• Family reunions and get-togethers
• Manito-manita gift giving
• Christmas caroling