1.2M tourists join Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo, say local execs

ILOILO CITY, Philippines—Iloilo’s Dinagyang Festival drew an estimated 1.2 million spectators over the weekend as it continued to boost its stock as one of the country’s most attended tourism events, according to police and local organizers who oversaw crowd management in the celebrations.

The performances of 13 Ati tribes in brightly colored costumes drew the most applause and cheers from at least 8,000 spectators at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand, the main judging area. Thousands also came to three other judging areas and lined the streets to watch a parade of colors pass through.

The spectators at the Freedom Grandstand included US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr., who attended the festival for the first time, and South Africa Ambassador Agnes Nyamande Pitso.

“The ambassadors were very impressed,” said Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog in an interview.

Mabilog said the level of performances and the bright colors of the costumes of the tribes surpassed those of last year.

Los Angeles-based Jojie Fonacier, who also joined the festival for the first time, said he was impressed with the choreography and the striking colors of the costumes, which changed several times during the performances of the tribes.

“We sure will come back (for the festival),” he said.

The Dinagyang, held every fourth Sunday of January, is among several festivals held in honor of the Sto. Niño in the Visayas.

The Kasadyahan contest on Saturday showcased festival winners from Western Visayas. At least 13 groups took part in the contest.

At least P1.5 million in prizes for major and minor awards were up for grabs for the competing tribes and groups, up from last year’s total prize of P800,000. Winners were expected to be announced Sunday evening.

The Dinagyang occurs almost at the same time as two other festivals for the Sto. Niño in the Visayas—the Sinulog of Cebu and Ati-Atihan of Aklan.

The two other festivals also drew hundreds of thousands of visitors. In Cebu, government officials had to build a housing facility for visitors from other provinces who didn’t have the means to stay in Cebu City’s pricey hotels.