11 Major Food Festivals in the Philippines
What are some of the most popular Filipino food festivals?
- Lechons are the most loved festival food of all time, and what better way to enjoy this event is to join the townspeople of Batangas and Iligan as they celebrate the festival during the month of January and September respectively.
- Crabs make the most delicious seafood cuisine of all time, and surely, you’ll find various recipes of it on the Alimango festival happening every month of July in Sta.Margarita, Samar.
- Who loves cheese? Join the people of Sta. Cruz, Laguna as they celebrate the festival of Kesong Puti every month of March.
- Suman Festivals are held on February in Aurora, and on May in Antipolo – and definitely, these events are not to miss out as you’ll witness the festivity of famous sticky rice cakes!
- Want some good tuna? Wait for the Tuna Festival held in the land of tunas, General Santos City, every September.
- Longganisa has long been an important ingredient for a typical Filipino breakfast and what better way to stock up on this food necessity is by visiting Vigan, Ilocos Sur as they celebrate the Longganisa Festival on the month of January.
- If you’re a balut lover, then you’ll also love the exotic dishes made out of itik on the Itik Festival, happening on November, at Victoria, Laguna.
- A major go-to festival on the month of August is the Dinagat-Bakasi Festival for their well-known celebration of their rich-fishing culture and their main marine resource, the bakasi.
- Want to join an eat-all-you-can mango event? Then the celebration of Manggahan Festival every month of April in Guimaras, Iloilo is the right event for you!
- Bawang Festival is the best go-to festival for cook hopefuls – join the people of Sinait, Ilocos Sur as they celebrate the event every month of May.
- If you want some good lanzones, then it’s best to go to the Lanzones Festival at Mambajao, Camiguin during the month of October for their undeniably sweet-tasting lanzones.
Our very own local food scene is beautifully diverse and that is indeed one of many reasons why it’s more fun in the Philippines. Any foodie or food fanatic will love to be the first to visit each one of these festivals – rest assured that these events will not disappoint in terms of presenting a memorable feast to satisfy your intense hunger for good food.
Want to be the first in line to the serving table? Then you might want to jot these major food festivals down in your planner so you won’t forget. The food will surely excite your taste buds – just like our own wedding catering in Manila.
Lechon Festival
Who loves a savory roasted lechon? Everybody! The crunchy roasted pig skin and the succulent pork meat. Mmmm! This is something that never goes missing in any table, especially if it is a grand celebration whether it be birthdays, christening, or weddings, you’’ll be sure to find this being served in a dining hall because we Filipinos can’t live without it. Lechon festivals are celebrated in Batangas during January, and in Iligan on September.
Alimango Festival
Mr. Krabs should be in hiding when July hits in Samar because the Alimango festival is something to look forward to. Crabs, crabs, and lots of alimangos for all in Sta. Margarita where they celebrate this festival with parades, games, and a lot of cooking contests on who can serve the best dish using the star of the show – Crabs!
Kesong Puti Festival
Love a good cheese? Everyone loves it, especially white cheese made from the milk of a water buffalo or more locally known as the carabao. Kesong puti has been a traditional palaman for the Filipinos monay and pandesal, and your pretty much set for the whole day if you’ve had them for breakfast. The warm bread pandesal and the cheesy goodness of kesong puti. Yum! This festival is celebrated in Sta, Cruz Laguna on March.
Suman Festival
A local delicacy, suman is the Filipinos original version of the sticky rice cake that is wrapped in banana leaves and served with either sugar granules or sweet syrup. You will find sumans being sold on the streets because they are a pretty common snack food and can fill you up for at least a good number of hours. Suman Festivals are held on February in Aurora, and on May in Antipolo.
Tuna Festival
Well, if you haven’t had your seafood fill then you better make sure to visit General Santos City on September because you will be greeted with the most protein packed dishes of Tuna. Locals celebrate this festival with a tuna float parade, which is a very exciting event to witness, to say the least. Game up on your eating because it’s going to be one heck of a fish party!
Longganisa Festival
Longganisa has long been an important ingredient for a typical Filipino breakfast and what better way to stock up on this food necessity is by visiting the Ilokanos which are famous for their renowned Vigan longganisa. Gas money is not an issue if you can just visit and eat those juicy delicious spicy red meats!
Itik Festival
Sure, you may have heard of balut – and the many exotic dishes that is popular in the Philippines; enter itik (also, native duck). The town of Victoria in Laguna has a rich culture in duck-farming, and is a prominent destination for traders, thus earning their title as the “Duck Raising Center of the Philippines.” To pay tribute to the honor that itik has given the municipality, itik festival is being celebrated simultaneously along with the town’s founding anniversary every November – with a lot of dancing and delicacies that is surely to go for!
Dinagat-Bakasi Festival
Before, the people in Cordova, Cebu celebrates Dinagat Festival in honor of their fishing culture and livelihood – however, the festival was later associated with the town’s main marine resource: the Bakasi, also Cordova eel, hence, Dinagat-Bakasi Festival. This festival is a major go-to every month of August for their well-known ritual dance which replicates the movement of the eel, the bakasi race, and their cooking contest, with of course, the bakasi as the star ingredient.
Manggahan Festival
Ever tasted the sweet-tasting mangoes from Guimaras, Iloilo? Every April, the people of Guimaras celebrate their independence while promoting their very own delicious mangoes – and the highlight of the event? The “eat-all-you-can” promo on mangoes for only a hundred peso! Everyone, including Filipinos and tourists alike can eat every each of it within a particular time limit, absolutely terrific!
Bawang Festival
Considered as the main ingredient in most Philippine cuisines, garlic is being celebrated at Sinait, Ilocos Sur every month of May to honor its glory in the Philippine history, and of course, to give recognition to Ilocano garlic farmers. What’s interesting in this festival is the parade of garlic floats, street dancing, street presentation, and a lot more kinds of competitions that puts garlic and the farmers in the center stage – and oh, do not forget the garlic themed dishes you definitely should not miss out!
Lanzones Festival
It’s a joy to eat lanzones that is not too sour and definitely sweet-tasting, and you might’ve not been informed that these particular sweet lanzones came from Mambajao, Camiguin. Basically, the townspeople celebrate their thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest every October, in line with the season of the tropical fruit lanzones, and like any other festivals, the lanzones festival highlights a line-up of various activities including street dancing, parade and beauty pageants, and product exhibits that’s open for local and foreign tourists as well. But aside all this, the people are most thrilled for the annual beautification contest of the barangays, indigenous sports, and the representation of local culture that will definitely leave you in awe.
Key Takeaway
The next time you want to have that family vacation, it’s safe to say that you’ll be setting up on some of these food destinations and pretty sure you’re already making plans and gearing up on some of these local food festivals with the whole fam bam because going to the beach is so last season.
