Dinagyang is an annual religious and cultural festival happening in Iloilo City on the fourth Sunday of January. The festival celebrates the Ilonggos' devotion to the Infant Jesus, the Santo Niño and the arrival of the Malay settlers on the Panay Island who later acquired the island from the Atis.
Iloilo Dinagyang Festival 2014 | Schedule of Highlights
The highlights of Dinagyang 2014 are scheduled on the weekend of January 24-26, 2014. Take note of the following dates:
January 25 (Sat) - Kasadyahan Street Dancing Competition
January 26 (Sun) - Ati-Ati Street Dancing Competition
Iloilo Dinagyang Festival 2014 | Parade Route
This year's parade will observe the same route observed in the past years. The four (4) performance areas are located at:
*Freedom Grandstand
*Iloilo Provincial Capitol-Arroyo Fountain
*Quezon corner Ledesma Streets
*Maria Clara Stage
Attractions in Iloilo City and in nearby towns
Iloilo City and its neighboring towns have a treasure of heritage and historical structure waiting to be explored by visitors. Here are some of our suggestions.
Museo Iloilo is located in Iloilo City and is the best place to start to learn about the history of the city and of the province.
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| Museo Iloilo in Iloilo City |
Miag-ao Church is located in the town of Miag-ao, an hour van ride south of Iloilo City. The church was built in the late 1700's and is one of the four Baroque Churches of the Philippines included in the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites.
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| Miag-ao Church |
Delicacies in Iloilo City
Here are some of our favorite food establishments that we highly recommend to friends visiting Iloilo City.
Ted's Oldtimer Lapaz Batchoy is where we usually eat the famous lapaz batchoy. We always makes sure we eat here every time we are in Iloilo.
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| Ted's Oldtimer Lapaz Batchoy |
Madge Cafe is a rustic coffee shop located inside the Lapaz Public Market. They serve coffee prepared the traditional way with coffee beans sourced around Panay Island. The experience is really unique.
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| Madge Cafe |
Pasalubong from Iloilo City
After the festival go buy some pasalubong before you leave Iloilo City. Here are some suggestions:
Baye-Baye is made of rice flour, sugar, coconut water and grated young coconut. It taste similar to espasol without the toasted rice flour coating. There are stalls along the highway going to the airport. If you are riding a taxi, you can ask the taxi driver to make a quick stop along the highway.
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| Baye-Baye |
Merci Pasalubong Treats has a branch right inside the Iloilo Airport. We recommend their piyaya, butterscotch, lengua de gato and biscocho.
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| Merci Pasalubong at Iloilo Airport |
Accommodation in Iloilo City
There are a lot of accommodation options in Iloilo City that meet any budget and requirements. Our favorite is Smallville 21 Hotel because of its prime location. There are a number of restaurants within the area and it is very near SM City Iloilo. Book now via phone number +63.33.501.6821 / +63.33.333.3221 / +63.33.333.3121; or via mobile phone number +63.917.301.0021. You can also email them at smallville21iloilo@gmail.com. Here are their updated room rates: http://www.ann2.net/hotels/smallville21/
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| Smallville 21 Hotel |
How to get to Iloilo City
Domestic Flights
The Iloilo Airport is the main gateway to Iloilo City. Here are the airlines with direct flights to Iloilo:
*Cebu Pacific Air : from Manila, Cebu, Puerto Princesa, Davao, General Santos and CDOFrom Iloilo Airport, you can hire a taxi going to your hotel (P350-P400 fixed rate per taxi). Alternatively, you can take the public airport shuttle van at the airport's parking lot. Drop-off points are along the national road with the last stop at SM City Iloilo (P50 per person; P70 when going back to the airport from the city center). From SM City Iloilo, you can take a metered taxi to your hotel.
*Philippine Airlines : from Manila, Cebu, General Santos and Puerto Princesa
*Air Asia Zest : from Manila
Airfare may already be too expensive at this time, so as an alternative, you can fly to Roxas City and take a van going to Iloilo City (2.5-3 hours) or to Bacolod City and take a fastcraft going to Iloilo City (1-1.5 hrs).
International Flights
Cebu Pacific Air currently offers direct flights to Iloilo Airport from Hong Kong and Singapore. You can check their updated flight schedules here.
The Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila is the main international gateway to the Philippines. International and local airlines serve daily flights to Manila from key cities in Asia, Europe, Oceania and North America. From Manila, Iloilo City is less than an hour flight away. Here are the airlines offering connecting flights from Manila to Iloilo Airport:
*Cebu Pacific Air : from ManilaThe Mactan Cebu International Airport in Cebu is also an international gateway to the Philippines with daily connecting flights to Iloilo Airport. You can check the following airlines with direct international flights to Cebu:
*Philippine Airlines : from Manila
*Air Asia Zest : from Manila
*Cebu Pacific Air : from Bangkok, Busan, Hong Kong, Incheon and SingaporeHere are the local airlines that serve connecting flights from Cebu to Iloilo Airport:
*Philippine Airlines : from Hong Kong, Incheon, Taipei and Tokyo (Narita)
*Air Asia : from Kuala Lumpur (starting December 1, 2013)
*Cebu Pacific AirFrom Iloilo Airport, you can hire a taxi to your hotel. Fare per taxi (fixed rate) is between P350 to P400 (US$8 to US$9.50) depending on the destination.
*Philippine Airlines
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| Iloilo Airport |
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