Dinagyang Festival 2023 “Hala Bira” Iloilo Travel Guide, Events Complete Guide, Activities
6 THINGS to Love about Iloilo’s DINAGYANG FESTIVAL 2023 Travel Guide, Events Complete Guide, Activities
1. Miss Iloilo 2023
Keep your interest alive. The upcoming stage of Miss Iloilo 2023 will be unlike anything else in the eyes of the director of the pageant Professor. Kevin Piamonte.
The coming beauty contest for Iloilo City’s next ambassadresses of goodwill is going to be filled with surprises, said the beauty pageant fanatic.
The coronation ceremony will take place on the 18th of January, 2023. The winners will be the 1st and 2nd runners-up as well as Miss Iloilo 2023.
“Just watch out. It is going to be unique and different entirely. The first pageant of its kind,” said Piamonte, also a well-known director of theater and film.
Miss Iloilo is among the major events of Dinagyang Festival 2023 that the Iloilo Festivals Foundation, Inc. (IFFI) and the city government plan to organize with the help of a variety of participants including the SM City Iloilo.
2. Sto. Nino Fluvial Procession
The celebrations of the city’s Dinagyang Festival 2023, a fluvial procession will take place on the 20th of January, 2023. It will feature the Sto. Nino image. Large crowds are gathered at Fort San Pedro to watch the fluvial procession move towards Muelle Loney Street.
Read also: DINAGYANG FESTIVAL 2023 Event, Activity Schedule, Travel Guide
3. DINAGYANG FOOD Festival
This year’s Dinagyang 2023 Food Festival will be supported by local micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as well as other food companies that began to expand at the peak in the pandemic coronavirus.
As per J Scott Sarria, founder of Kaon Ta Iloilo (KTI) and one of the organizers for the festival of food, 300 to 400 kiosks are expected to be set up for the food festival.
“Open sa tanan. We’re trying to provide the food a variety. Indi lang kita mag-limit sa barbeque kag inasal,” said Sarria.
In addition, Korean and Chinese foods and local foods will be served at the food festival.
It is believed that the Dinagyang food festival provides small food enterprises the chance to recover from 2 years of slow business owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
“But we’re not only offering opportunities to well-established restaurants. May mga tawo man nga ga-negosyo lang during Dinagyang, dira lang gagwa,” Sarria said.
Established restaurants that fall part of the supervision of the Iloilo Hotel Restaurants & Resorts Association (IHRRA) which is an ongoing partner to the Dinagyang Festival 2023 in the conduct of the food festival. They will show off their special dishes.
This year’s food festival, begins at the beginning of January 9 through 22 will be a bigger location. 5 streets in the downtown region will be designated as food festival zones. To ensure that the event is well-organized and well-curated each zone will have a designated coordinator.
Sarria also said that the larger the area for Food Festival, the better the event will be for everyone since safety guidelines will be followed.
4. DINAGYANG FESTIVAL 2023 ‘ILOmination’ Floats Parade of Lights
The Iloilo Dinagyang Festival 2023 will showcase before spectators the major growth areas of the city during the staging of the Dinagyang ILOmination tribes competition on the evening of Jan. 21.
The event that will be held for the first time will gather seven tribes representing the city’s seven districts for a showdown in three judging areas at the new business district in Mandurriao, said Iloilo Festivals Foundation, Inc. (IFFI) executive director Joyce Clavecillas in an interview on Wednesday.
The tribes included City Proper, Lapuz, La Paz, Molo, Jaro, Mandurriao and Arevalo.
“For the first time, our three major townships are coming together to support and help this tribes competition. One reason why we put them there is to showcase the progress of Iloilo City in that area,” she said.
Donning illuminated costumes, the tribes will perform first at the Atria Park District, will move to SM City Iloilo for the second performance, and at the Iloilo Business Park /Megaworld, the third performance area.
Clavecillas added that it will be held in the evening to convey the thought that there is light after darkness.
“After being in the dark due to the pandemic, we want to emphasize that there is always light, there is always hope. Light is being symbolized by Señor Santo Niño,” she said, adding that the image of the Holy Child will be infused in the performances of the competing tribes.
Clavecillas said the Ilomination will be staged side-by-side with the parade of around 14 illuminated corporate floats.
The festival will be held simultaneous with the Religious SadSad (merry-making) at the San Jose Parish in Plaza Libertad.
Clavecillas added that the events are spread in various venues in the city to give people options as well as spread the crowd since the festival, with highlights on Jan. 20-22, is expected to lure thousands of tourists and spectators.
5. DINAGYANG FESTIVAL 2023 ‘KASADYAHAN’ PARADE OF COSTUMES
Over the years, the Iloilo city’s Kasadyahan Festival is one of the most popular community-based festivals and is often referred to as the one most visited festival in the Philippines.
Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan 2023 is produced in partnership with the Iloilo City Government and Iloilo Festivals Foundation Incorporated in collaboration with the provincial government of Iloilo as well as the Ilonggo community.
6. DINAGYANG FESTIVAL ‘Tribe Competition’ (Street Dancing)
Eight tribes of barangay compete to win the prize. Dinagyang Festival 2023 brings back face-to-face events in January 2023. Iloilo City will hold the celebration on the streets following two years of doing it virtually due to covid pandemic .
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Trenas confirmed that the event will be highlighted by Barangay Tribes Competition to be performed with Tribu Sagasa Tribu Parianon Tribu Panaad Tribu Familia Sagrada, Tribu Molave, Tribu Ilonggohanon Tribu Kanyao and Tribu Kanyao sang Baybayanon and Tribu Halimau.
The event is dubbed “Dinagyang barangay” the highlight of the festival is scheduled for the 22nd of January, 2023, between 8 a.m. until 12 noon. It will take place with four judging zones starting at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand.
Trenas stated that “Dinagyang 2023 year will be the biggest and most magnificent ever.”
“It will outdo all other celebrations. Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. and the Iloilo City Government, the tribes, and of our sponsors from private will work to make the sure Dinagyang 2023 will establish our reputation as the best festival in the Philippines”” said the official.
In addition to being a part of the Barangay Tribes contest There will also there will be “Dinagyang ILOmination and the Floats Parade” competition featuring seven tribes from seven districts in Iloilo City – City Proper, Jaro, La Paz, Lapuz, Molo, Mandurriao and Arevalo. The seven tribes will shine the night with their costumes as well as performance.
Dinagyang ILOmination is scheduled for the 21st of January, 2023 from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. at Diversion Road in Mandurriao district.
