Baguio Events and Festivals

Baguio has a good mix of festivals starting with the colourful Flower Festival in February. Additionally, there are a number of religious based events such as Senakulo as well as nationalistic celebrations of independence and heroes of yesteryear. The run up to Christmas is perhaps the highlight, with the excellent Arts Festival providing ample opportunity to do some Christmas shopping.

Baguio Flower Festival: Baguio is known as the ‘Flower Garden City of the North’ and February is a great time to visit, when the city is awash with colour thanks to the Baguio Floral Festival. The festival includes lectures, garden tours, flower exhibits, floral competitions and an excellent parade of floats.

Philippine Military Academy Graduation: this graduation ceremony for Filipino Military Academy students is always a colourful event and a great celebration. The festivities are usually held at Fort Pilar in Baguio and are attended by the president, the guest of honour.

Senakulo (Holy Week): holy week is celebrated in towns and cities across the Philippines with various religious events and processions. The festival is taken very seriously and is interesting to observe. Various rituals focusing on the suffering, passion and death of Christ are performed, sometimes ending with people actually being nailed to a cross.

Kafagway (Liberation of Baguio): held on 25 April every year, the people of Baguio have a special celebration to commemorate the liberation of the city. There is a great atmosphere as Baguio’s history is re-lived through street parades, exhibitions and other celebrations.

Flores de Mayo (Flowers of May): this month long festival highlights the strong religious feeling in the country. The Flowers of May is a month of offerings to the Virgin Mary. Every day begins with little girls dressed in white clothes leaving flowers at the altars of churches. The celebration ends with a stunning procession of local women dressed in white carrying fabulous floral arrangements. The focal point of the procession is Reyna Elena (Saint Helena), who allegedly discovered the True Cross and was the mother of Constantine the Great.

Independence Day: is celebrated on 12 June in honour of the declaration of independence from Spain in 1898. However, the USA didn’t recognise Filipino independence until 4 July 1946. In the name of national pride, a law was passed to celebrate independence on the former date.

National Heroes’ Day: this public holiday takes place on the last Sunday in August every year. On this day people honour Andres Bonifacio, who in August 1896 led his revolutionary army in defiant battle against the Spanish rulers.

Baguio Foundation Day: each year on 1 September, the people of Baguio celebrate the day in 1909 when Baguio became a chartered city. This is an excellent cultural celebration with parades, exhibitions, and other cultural entertainments. If you are in Baguio at this time of year, it’s well worth checking out what’s on.

Impakasat Trade and Tourism Fair: celebrates the Cordilleras as a tourist destination with interesting stalls and promotions.

Grand Canao: this celebration is a thanksgiving ceremony typified by tribal dancing and the beating of drums, with the final act being the slaughter of an animal as an offering to ensure a good harvest.

Baguio Arts Festival: is one of the best arts events in Baguio, showcasing the finest of Filipino arts and crafts. There is a huge range of artistic styles on display here with painting, sculpture, photography and drawing as well as ethnic arts. Workshops, lectures and a stunning parade are also held. This festival is especially known for its silver jewellery and exotic fabrics.

Christmas: Baguio holds a number of Christmas events to help get you in the festive spirit. The predominantly Christian population remember the birth of Jesus through present giving and recreations of the nativity.