A Sinulog street dance performance during the Sinulog Grand Parade 2023
The Sinulog Festival will return to South Road Properties this 2024!
This was announced by Elmer “Jojo” Labella, the Executive Director of the Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI) at a press conference on November 14th, 2023.
The festival is slated for January of next year, but the SFI is already preparing for the changes that would benefit both participants and audience members.
This includes roofed bleachers along the parade route to protect viewers from the heat and rain. This was one of last year’s main concerns during the Sinulog parade and celebration, as viewers had to endure the sun’s glaring heat.
Next year’s route will be longer, with a carousel spanning 3.7 kilometers, all the way to the SRP pond. However, the exact path for the route has not yet been confirmed.
SOUTH ROAD PROPERTIES
The Sinulog celebration was first moved to SRP in 2023 to market Mayor Michael Rama’s pursuit for a “Singapore-like Cebu.”
This includes improvements and additional infrastructure around Cebu for a more highly urbanized city. They started with the renovation of the Carbon Public Market and Freedom Park, and they are currently working on the construction of the Bus Rapid Transit.
The festival will become an avenue for travelers to experience the many attractions at SRP, such as the Nustar, IL Corso Lifemalls, and SM Seaside Cebu.
Aside from this, the venue change also allows for decongestion of traffic along the downtown area, giving more room for the festivities to be held there.
The festival’s main events were previously held along several downtown and uptown areas, with the Grand Showdown at the Cebu City Sports Center and the Grand Parade spanning many parts of downtown and midtown Cebu.
The change of venue was met with skepticism from Cebuanos, who were used to seeing the Grand Parade in a much more accessible area. Despite this, last year’s event was a success, with millions of locals and foreigners participating.
There was no mention of the Sinulog going back to its usual venue, but the ongoing construction of the BRT has possibly extended it further.
GUESTS COMING TO SINULOG
The Cebu City Tourism Office is already expecting over 2 million guests for next year’s celebration, with many local and foreign travelers already arriving in Cebu in September.
This includes overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have finally returned to Cebu to celebrate the festival with their families and friends.
There is a 28% increase from last year, in which Cebu recorded around 1.9 million visitors.
The festival is open to any LGU member who wishes to participate in the competition, regardless of whether they have not joined in the past.
Labella mentioned that around 15 contingents have already shown interest, and they expect around 30 contingents to join next year.
Registration for contingents will start on December 1st, 2023.
