CEBU, Philippines – The grand Sinulog festival has returned to Cebu, which will again welcome millions of devotees to the province.
This year, the Sinulog Foundation Incorporated (SFI) led by executive director Elmer “Jojo” Labella confirmed that the festival day will be on January 19, going back to the tradition of celebrating it on the third Sunday of the month.
Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia disclosed that they are looking at more than 3 million local and foreign tourists and devotees to converge at the Queen City of the South to join the Sinulog and Fiesta Señor celebration.
Here are the other information that you should know about the Sinulog festival and relevant activities for 2025.
Back to basics
For the theme of this year’s Sinulog festival, Labella told reporters that they’re “going back to the basics.”
“We are going back to the basic ‘Sinulog One Beat, One Dance, One Vision’ [theme] but we are suggesting a tagline of ‘Chanting Pit Señor all over the Philippine Archipelago,’” the SFI executive director said.
One of the biggest highlights of the Sinulog festival is the grand parade and ritual dance showdown, which will have contingents from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, said Labella.
In the SFI’s official list, there are 42 contingents from all over the nation. The out-of-town contingents are:
- City Of Kidapawan Performing Arts Guild/City Of Kidapawan Province Of Cotabato
- Antipolo Maytime Festival Bukluran Dance Troupe
- Bais City Festival Of Harvests Negros Oriental
- James L. Chiongbian National Trade School/Performing Arts Guild Sarangani Province
- Tribu Kamanting Performing Arts Guild/Barug Dinagat Foundation, Dinagat Islands
- Baile Filipina Dance Guild Inc. Dipolog City
- Kabilin Mindanaw Province Of Davao Occidental
- Zamboanga Hermosa Festival
- Tabaco College-Albay
- Bakhaw Performing Arts Guild Nan Del/Carmen Del Carmen, Siargao
- Dumaguete City-Sandurot Festival
The guest performers include participants from the local governments of Bacolod City, Cebu City, and Cebu Province.
Return to city
One of the biggest changes for this year’s celebration is the return to the original venue: the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC), formerly known as the Abellana Sports Complex.
In 2023 and 2024, then-Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama moved to hold the Sinulog grand festival at the South Road Properties which became a controversial issue, leading to disagreements between Rama and Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia.
Labella told reporters that the traditional route for the festival day parade, which is closer to the city’s downtown area, will be used for this year’s celebration.
The traditional route covers spans General Maxilom Avenue, Fuente Osmeña Circle, Osmeña Boulevard, Pantaleon del Rosario Street, and Imus Avenue.
According to the SFI, there will also be a Sinulog sa Dakbayan (Sinulog in the City) on January 12 at the CCSC. This event showcases performances from Cebu City’s barangays and elementary schools.
Labella shared that the event will begin with a short program in Barangay Mabolo to pay tribute to the roots of the special celebration.
The SFI executive director added that the Sinulog sa Lalawigan (Sinulog in the Province), which features performances from the youth of Cebu’s municipalities and cities, will no longer be a separate event and contingents will instead join the grand parade and showdown on January 19 at the CCSC.
Besides the usual events, Labella mentioned that there will also be a brass band competition on January 11.
“This is more or less like an advocacy of the Sinulog Foundation Incorporated and the Cultural Historical Affairs Office…. We are trying to encourage the [youth] to learn brass band,” Labella said.
Tickets online and mobile app
For 2025, the SFI has also launched an official website where festival goers can purchase tickets for the Grand Parade, Sinulog sa Dakbayan, Festival Queen competition, and Awarding Ceremonies.
Tickets for the Grand Parade are priced between P1,000 to P1,500. Ticket prices for the other events have yet to be provided as of posting time but they are usually in the same price range.
Eager participants and tourists can also download the Sinulog app to get the latest updates, vote for their winning contingents in the upcoming competitions, and access detailed event maps.
You can check out the official Sinulog 2025 website here. – Rappler.com