About the Sinulog Festival

The Sinulog Festival is an annual cultural and religious festival held on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City, Philippines. The festival honors the Santo Niño (Child Jesus), the patron saint of Cebu. The celebration features a street parade with participants in bright-colored costumes dancing to the rhythm of drums, trumpets, and native gongs.

The word “Sinulog” comes from the Cebuano adverb “sulog” which roughly means “like water current movement,” which describes the forward-backward movement of the Sinulog dance. The festival has deep historical roots, dating back to the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in the Philippines in 1521 and the subsequent introduction of Christianity to the islands.

Today, the Sinulog Festival has grown into one of the country’s biggest and most colorful festivals, attracting thousands of tourists from around the world. The week-long celebration includes various activities such as religious processions, street parties, cultural shows, and the grand parade featuring dancers from different parts of the country.