The 2025 Sinulog Festival is expected to be one of the best in the history of Cebu!
(Photo by Cesan Escuadro on Pexels)
Cebu City’s biggest cultural event is returning to where it all began!
The Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI) and the Cebu City government have confirmed that the Sinulog Festival will return to its traditional venue, the streets of downtown and uptown Cebu, this 2025.
Raymond Alvin Garcia agreed to bring the festival back to the city streets as one of his projects as the newly appointed mayor of Cebu City.
According to an article on Sunstar Cebu, the government received complaints from contingents, dancers, working committees, and spectators about last year’s venue. (2024)
Over the past two years, SFI and the local government under Mike Rama held the event at the South Road Properties, deeming it the “optimal” location for hosting the primary events of the festival.
Also, the Cebu City Sports Complex (CCSC) had to close temporarily for renovations for the 2024 Palarong Pambansa. The CCSC is the traditional venue for the festival’s Ritual Showdown.
The Grand Street Parade would have also been affected by the construction of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) along Osmeña Boulevard.
Unfortunately, the SRP venue faced a myriad of problems, from excessive heat to the lack of resources such as restrooms and drinking water.
Even Cebu’s Provincial Governor Gwendolyn Garcia boycotted the festival and started another with contingents from Cebu province in Carmen.
Contingents from Lapu-Lapu City and Mandaue City also backed out of the 2023 event.
Garcia officially took over as mayor after Rama was suspended in 2024, scrapping the plans and bringing the festival back to its roots.
The Grand Parade will now return to its original route, passing through major streets and highways like General Maxilom, Osmeña, and Colon Street.
Subsequently, the Grand Showdown will be held at the CCSC, now that it has successfully reopened to the public.
The last time the festival was held in the city was in 2020, a few months before the entire city was placed under quarantine, in line with the COVID-19 pandemic. The subsequent celebrations in 2021 and 2022 were also canceled.
Aside from bringing the festival back to its original venue, the SFI will also bring back its original theme: “One Beat, One Dance, One Vision”.
So aside from this, what can viewers expect with the festival’s return to Cebu City streets?
OVER 30 CONTINGENTS
A CDN Digital article quotes SFI Executive Director Jojo Labella saying they are aiming for 35 contingents to join the festival. (2024) In line with this, Mayor Garcia mentioned that 38 had already shown interest in participating.
This is nearly double the number of participants at the 2024 celebration at SRP. This is also a record turnout, as reported by another CDN article, as 17 (80% of the total from last year) had already been confirmed by October. (2024)
The 38 contingents reportedly exclude participants from Cebu province, as Mayor Garcia is yet to discuss plans with the provincial government.
As of writing, there is no final list of participants, as registration for the festival runs from December 18th to 20th.
OVER 3 MILLION EXPECTED VIEWERS
SFI is expecting over three million viewers to join in the festivities in January.
Mayor Garcia is working hand-in-hand with local police and security personnel to ensure everyone’s safety. He mentioned that he is considering not jamming phone signals in order for everyone to communicate with ease.
The city is expecting a massive turnout of tourists, especially since January is the busiest time for airlines and hotels in Cebu.
PRESIDENT MARCOS INVITED
Mayor Garcia invited President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., saying that the president may make a speech during the event.
A CDN article quotes the mayor saying it would be an honor for President Marcos to grace the event. He mentioned that re-electionist government officials will also be present, but they would not be allowed to speak in order to avoid turning the festival into a platform for campaigning.
“THE BIGGEST, GRANDEST EVER”
Garcia promises that the 2025 Sinulog Festival will be one of the grandest ever in the history of Cebu City. As organizers continue to plan out activities, it’s easy to see why that may be possible.
He mentioned that last year’s celebration was underwhelming because of the small number of contingents, but next year’s celebration has already doubled its participants.
The return to the downtown and uptown areas provides a more accessible venue, especially because of the lack of public transportation at SRP.
Additionally, the estimated 3 million visitors is a far cry from last year, which only recorded around more than half a million.
Everyone is patiently waiting for all the activities to be confirmed, so stay tuned for more updates.
REFERENCES:
Padronia, Earl Kim and Kevin Lagunda. 2024. “Sinulog 2025 returns to Cebu City Sports Center.” Sunstar Cebu.
https://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/sinulog-2025-returns-to-city-sport-center.
Oliveiro, Niña Mae. 2024. “Sinulog 2025: SFI targets to have 35 contingents for Sinulog 2025.” CDN Digital.
https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/609905/sinulog-foundation-targets-to-have-35-contingents-for-sinulog-2025.
Piquero, Pia. 2024. “Sinulog 2025 on track for record turnout with 17 contingents confirmed as of October.” CDN Digital.
https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/602440/sinulog-2025-on-track-for-record-turnout-with-17-contingents-confirmed-as-of-october.
