Sadsad sa Calle Real at the Dinagyan Festival
Highlights
Two multi-day colorful and festive cultural celebrations in Panay Island.
Time of Visit: January 2025
Duration of Visit: Five Nights (total)
Description
Ati-Atihan and Dinagyan Festivals are two multi-day cultural festivals held in the island of Panay. These two colorful and festive celebrations of Filipino culture should not be missed. The streets are turned into one big party atmosphere where anyone is welcome to enjoy.
The Ati-Atihan festival is said to be the granddaddy of all Filipino festivals. It is believed that this tradition goes back more than 800 years, way before Magellan set foot on the Philippine archipelago. Ati-Atihan is celebrated in Kalibo, Aklan Province which is in the island’s Northwest corner.
Dinagyan is celebrated in Iloilo City which is the largest city in Panay Island. Iloilo is located on the island’s Southeast Corner.
The highlight of both festivals are weekend street parades and performances. It is like Mardi Gras but without floats. Participants are dressed in colorful costumes accompanied by a loud drum corp.
Ati-Atihan is typically held during the third weekend of January while Dinagyan is held a week later. So if you are visiting Boracay, try to time it so that you can enjoy both festivities.
Ati-Atihan
Activities
Kalibo municipality proper is not big and walkable. The festivities are held around Pastrana Park which is directly in front of the Kalibo Cathedral. The Ati-Atihan participants parade through the streets once a day. The participants are grouped by “tribes”. So a tribe just follows the tribe in front of it as they walk the route.
Onlookers stand on both sides of the streets, eagerly awaiting for the participants just like what a parade should be. Even though there are a lot of onlookers, there is plenty of street real estate such that viewing is unhindered. People are well behaved too as there was no pushing or shoving.
The Ati-Atihan parade is different in a way that people can pop in and take pictures with the participants. That’s how you can tell whether that person is a local or a visitor (locals just look while visitors are busy taking photos).
Taking photos with the participants is normally done when the parade momentarily stops. After a few camera clicks, they immediately go back to the sidelines to avoid hindering the parade.
There are also plenty of street food vendors during the festivities. Make sure you sample some of the savory and delicious food.
Below is a quick overview of what occurs during the weekend celebration.
Friday
The parade route is closed to traffic so expect to do some walking to enjoy the festivities. If you are arriving on this day, you may have to walk to your accommodation depending on where it is located.
The parade starts around mid-afternoon. Participants walked the route but not wearing any costumes. It was lively as the “tribes”pounded the drums to a rhythmic beat. It would be prudent to wear earplugs if you want to be close to the participants..
Saturday
This is the big day as the participants wore their elaborate and colorful costumes. They even blackened their skins for a more authentic look. To us, this was the most enjoyable day and should not be missed. It was really festive. The evening was pretty much the same as Friday night. There were some “tribes” going around and pounding the drums. Some people on the streets were dancing to the drum beats.
Sunday
The festivities started with a mass at the cathedral led by the bishop. The mass was held outdoors due to crowd size. A float procession bearing the patron saint “Santo Nino” immediately begins after the mass. The float procession was followed by the costumed participants, essentially being a repeat of Saturday.
We had to leave Kalibo after the mass as we had a long journey to our next destination. Having seen the colorful costumes the day before, we felt we did not miss much except the judging of the tribal costumes.
How to Get There
Kalibo has an airport, code KLO.
Kalibo is about a 2.5 hour bus ride from Caticlan Airport, the jumping off point to get to Boracay.
We actually took a bus from the Caticlan Port to go to Kalibo. The journey took just under three hours. There were buses and private vans just waiting for passengers at the port.
We recommend traveling by bus as it is roomier compared to private vans where people are packed like sardines. Lugging a big suitcase can also be problematic in a private van as there is limited luggage space unless the van has a roof rack..
Kalibo can also be reached by public transportation from Roxas City and Iloilo City.
Getting Around
Walking and hailing any tricycles in Kalibo is all that is needed to get around. The fares are inexpensive. Renting a scooter is not needed unless you are venturing outside the municipality.
Where To Stay
Try to stay within walking distance of Pastrana Park so you will be near the festivities, shops and restaurants. Because the streets are blocked off, you will have to walk anyway so staying close to where the action is advantageous.
Book early to secure a decent rate as accommodation prices tend to be inflated during the festival. There are many choices of accommodations on Booking.com.
Expected Expenses
Tricycles around town cost anywhere between 15 and 25 PHP.
Reserve your accommodations early. Prices tend to be as high as 3X normal if you wait even a month before.
Dinagyang
Activities
The Dinagyang Festival is actually celebrated over a few weeks that usually begins in December. However, the festival’s highlight is typically held during the fourth weekend of January. The main events during the festival’s last weekend are the Ilo-mination, Kasadyahan and Sadsad sa Calle Real.
Besides street performances and colorful parades, there are many street vendors during the festival. Souvenirs and food are generally sold by the vendors.
Below is a brief overview of what we experienced during the festival’s last weekend.
Friday
Ilo-mination is a parade where participants wear colorful lighted costumes and floats are decorated with colorful lights (hence being illuminated). The participants and the floats are paraded through city streets and start at dusk. We stationed ourselves near the Festive Walk Mall (Megaworld) and the parade reached this area around 20:00.
There were a lot of people that lined the streets. There was also a lot of waiting as the participants and floats were significantly spaced (it was not like they were right behind each other). We actually got tired of standing and waiting and did not wait for the end of the parade.
Saturday
Kasadyahan is the competition event where the participants wear their colorful costumes. The event was held in Iloilo City Proper (Old Town) not too far from the provincial capital building. There were four temporary grandstands that were erected at various street intersections. The participants performed in front of the audience and judges at each grandstand.
Only people that have tickets can sit in the grandstand. If you are not able to secure a ticket, you will have to arrive early to secure a coveted spot beside the grandstand. Otherwise, there is no use going there as you would not be able to see any of the performances. Waiting for the participants in between grandstands is also fruitless. Participants remove their costumes while casually walking from one grandstand to the next. In other words – nothing was happening.
Sunday
Sadsad sa Calle Real is the festival’s major event. Unlike Kasadyang, the participants perform on the streets. There are designated stops on the streets where the performance occurs. The key here is to locate those stops. Normally, there would be a small platform at the stops. The platform is where the judge would stand on to observe the performance.
How To Get There
Iloilo has its own airport, code ILO. Best to hail a Grab (rideshare similar to Uber) to get from the airport to the city center.
Where To Stay
This is a difficult question to answer because the festival activities are spread out.
We stayed at the Palladium condominium complex which is walking distance to the Festive Walk Mall. The festival’s street food experience was just in front of the Palladium which was convenient. Also the Ilo-mination parade route was just down the street.
From Palladium, we just took a Grab (rideshare like Uber) to go to Iloilo City Proper to witness the Kasadyahan and Sasad sa Calle Real. It worked very well.
There are many accommodation options in Iloilo that you can find on Booking.com.
Getting Around
The most convenient way to get around Iloilo City is by Grab. There are also jeepneys and tricycles. You do not need to rent a scooter unless you are venturing out of the city.
Expected Expenses
The festival is free unless you want to purchase a ticket to sit in one of the grandstands. However, grandstand tickets are gobbled up by local politicians and are hard to get unless you know somebody.
Summary
Ati-Atihan and Dinagyang Festivals are two of the premiere cultural festivals in the Philippines. Both festivals are celebrated in the island of Panay.
Fortunately, the festival’s highlights are a week apart allowing travelers to experience both.
Ati-Atihan is celebrated in the town of Kalibo. Participants wear colorful costumes and parade through the streets accompanied by drum corps. Experiencing Ati-Atihan is free.
Dinagyang is celebrated in Iloilo City. The festival has three main events which are Ilo-mination, Kasadyahan and Sadsad the Calle Real. Ilo-mination and Sadsad sa Calle Real are free events while Kasadyahan is not.
If you plan to be in Boracay in January, try hard to see these two festivals. Ati-Atihan has a party-like atmosphere like the Carnival in Brazil while Dinagyan is entertaining. Regardless of which festival you attend (or both), it will surely make a memorable experience.