The Essential Guide to Cebu’s Sinulog Festival 2016

Get ready to shimmy, shake and celebrate – Cebu’s annual Sinulog Festival is back again this year, bringing nine days of colourful costumes, dancing and revelling to the city’s streets.

Beginning on January 17th, this cultural and religious celebration will see Cebu come to life with locals and tourists to celebrate the Philippines’ adoption of the Roman Catholic faith with an exciting line up of street performances, parades, competitions and more.

Don’t miss a minute of this joyous occasion. Follow Radisson Blu Cebu’s essential guide to the 2016 Sinulog Festival’s most anticipated events.

The Sinulog Street Fair

December 1, 2015 – January 31, 2016
Kick off the festivities with a stroll down Osmena Boulevard, where hundreds of stallholders and hawkers spill into the streets, selling everything from traditional Filipino handicrafts to festival-themed t-shirts.

The Sinulog Photo Exhibit

December 26, 2015 – January 23, 2016
Get a glimpse of the Sinulog celebrations of past years at the annual Sinulog Photo Exhibit, where the work of amateur and professional photographers is proudly displayed, building anticipation and excitement for the festivities to come.

The Sinulog Fluvial Procession

January 16, 2016
Awake with the dawn and watch in awe as the sacred image of the child Jesus, Santo del Nino, is marched from the heart of Cebu city and across the Mactan Channel to reach St. Joseph Parish in Mandaue. One of the most significant events of the Sinulog Festival, this lively procession sees hundreds of devoted worshippers take to the seas to escort the holy statue on its annual journey, while drum beats and fireworks resonate in the distance.

The Sinulog Grand Parade

January 17, 2016

Undoubtedly the star of the Sinulog Festival’s exciting roster of activities, the Sinulog Grand Parade sees the celebration’s processions, ceremonies and events culminate in a magnificent street party steeped in tradition. Lasting an astonishing 12 hours, this all-day affair transforms Cebu into a hive of activity, with performers and spectators dancing along the six-kilometre route from morning to night.

Ready to take to Cebu’s streets for nine days of dancing, dining and celebrating? With festival events taking place all over the city, the comfortable Raddison Blu Cebu is the ideal hotel in Cebu to experience everything the 2016 Sinulog Festival has to offer.

Have you been to Cebu’s Sinulog Festival? Tell us about your experience in the comments section below!