The complete guide to Sinulog 2018

The Philippines’ Sinulog Festival is set to kick it off on Jan 12, 2018! It is considered to be one of the most famous and grandest event of the country. Held in Cebu it is usually celebrated with colorful pageantry, music, dancing and parades! Sinulog not only attracts local tourist but plenty of foreign as well. If you’re going to visit Cebu for the festival here’s everything that you should know.

Schedule of events

Get yourself in the know and find out the schedule of activities below:

January 12, 2018 (Friday)

Sinulog 2017 Kick Off

10:00am – Sinulog Trade Fair at Sm City Cebu by DTI (Department of Trade Industry)

2:00pm – Solemn Mass at Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño – opening salvo Sinulog 2018

3:00pm – Sinulog 2018 Launching Parade (Sto. Niño to Fuente Circle to Cebu City Sports Center)

7:00pm – Opening and launching Program at Plaza Independencia; Presentation of Sinulog Festival Queen; Sinulog Idol, Sinulog Dance Crew

8:oopm – Concert at Plaza Independancia c/o STI Cebu

January 13, 2018 (Saturday)

Sinulog Sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan

1:00pm – Parade of Participants from Capitol Grounds to Cebu City Sports Center

2:00pm – Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan at Cebu City Sports Center

6:30pm – Cultural Show at the Plaza Independencia by Department of Education – Cebu Province

8:00pm – Concert at Plaza Independencia

January 14, 2018 (Sunday)

Sinulog sa Barangay

12:00nn – Parade of Participants from Legazpi Extension Plaza Independencia to Cebu City Sports Center

1:00pm – Sinulog Sa Barangay at Cebu City Sports Center

6:30pm – Cultural Show at Plaza Independencia by Cebu Technological University and Indiana Aerospace University

8:00pm – Concert at Plaza Independencia

January 15, 2018 (Monday)

6:30pm – Cultural Show at Plaza Independencia by University of Visayas and University of Cebu

8:00pm – Concert at Plaza Independencia

January 16, 2018 (Tuesday)

6:30pm – Cultural Show at Plaza Independencia by Mandaue City College and Mandaue School for the Arts

8:00pm – Concert at Plaza Independencia

January 17, 2018 (Wednesday)

6:30pm – Cultural Show at Plaza Independencia by Salazar Institute of Technology and Cebu Doctor’s University

8:00pm – Concert at Plaza Independencia

January 18, 2018 (Thursday)

10:00am – Sinulog Festival Queen 2018 Photo Shoot at SM City Cebu Events Center

6:00pm – Sinulog Festival Queen 2018 Parade of Costumes and Runway Competition at SM North-wing Atrium

6:30pm – Cultural Show at Plaza Independencia by University of San Carlos

8:00pm – Concert at Plaza Independencia

January 19, 2018 (Friday)

4:00am – Walk with Mary (Our Lady of Guadalupe Church-V. Rama Ave.-left to B. Rodriguez St.- Fuente Osmeña-Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño Cebu-Mandaue-Lapu-Lapu Traslacion)

9:00am – Solidarity Meeting by all the Competing Contingents, Floats, Higante, and Puppeteers at the Cebu City Sports Complex

6:30pm – Cultural Show at Plaza Independencia by University of the Philippines Foundation, University of San Jose Recoletos, and Cebu Institute of Technology University

7:30pm – Sinulog Festival Queen 2018 Coronation Night and Sinulog Crew Dance Showdown at Cebu City Sports Complex

9:00pm – Concert at Plaza Independencia

January 20, 2018 (Saturday)

2:00am – Mass at the National Shrine of St. Joseph Mandaue-Lapu-lapu Translacion

3:00am – Fluvial Procession of the Miraculous Image of Sto. Niño

9:00am – Re-enactment of the Baptism of Queen Juana and Rajah Humabon at the Basilica del Sto. Niño

1:00pm – Solemn Procession of the Miraculous Image of the Sto. Niño

6:30pm – Cultural Show at Plaza Independencia by the Department of Education – Cebu City

7:00pm – Sinulog Idol 2018 Grand Finals at Plaza Independencia

7:00pm – Sinulog Fireworks Competition at SM City Cebu

9:00pm – Coke Studio Artists @ Plaza Independencia by Coca-Cola

January 21, 2018 (Sunday)

Sinulog Grand Parade

4:00am – Mañanita Mass at the Basilica del Sto. Niño

6:00am – Pontifical Mass at the Basilica del Sto. Niño

7:00am – Holy Mass at the Cebu City Sports Center

8:00am – Short Program

8:30am – Sinulog 2018 Grand Parade Kick Off at Cebu City Sports Complex

4:00pm – Sinulog 2018 Grand Finale at the Cebu City Sports Center

6:00pm – Concert at Plaza Independencia with Mofo Band

8:00pm – Parokya ni Edgar Concert at Plaza Independencia by Globe Telecom

January 22, 2018 (Monday)

Awarding Ceremonies at the Cebu City Sports Center

January 26, 2018 (Friday)

“HUBO” Mass

4:00am – Mass at the Basilica del Sto. Niño Pilgrim Center

Schedule of Music Parties

Of course no festival is complete without the concert and dance parties! Check out the schedules below:

LifeDance 2018

LifeDance has been putting up shows during Sinulog since 2012, and they feature several artists and DJ’s each year. This 2018 they’re back with another massive line up! Be sure to stay updated on announcements by checking out their Facebook page.

PLUS63 Music & Arts Festival 2018

Plus63 Music & Arts Festival idea was to bring international acts to the Visayas,  Mindanao, and Luzon. True to their words they’re bringing back another international DJ Showtek in this years Sinulog! They will also bring local acts such Victor Pring, X Factor and more. Check out their Facebook page for more information.

Neon Jungle Sinulog Music Festival 2018

Neon Jungle is a big party hosted by a giant telco-company and Sentral a hip-hop bar. They haven’t posted much yet but it’s definitely something we all could look forward to. Check out their Facebook page to keep yourself updated.

Sinulog Festival with Parokya ni Edgar

Our favorite band and probably every Filipino as well, Parokya ni Edgar is going to Sinulog too! They will be at Plaza Indipendencia on January 21!

Key Takeaways:

There are plenty of activities going on simultaneously during the Sinulog Festival so be sure to take your time on which event you wish to part take. Since it’s a such a big and grand festival, expect a lot of people in the streets of Cebu, be extra mindful of your belongings at all times and be sure to stick with the group of people you are with to avoid any unnecessary troubles. Accommodation could be a potential speed bump as well as the influx of the tourists or visitors will be the cause of this predicament. Good thing, you can always book ahead of time using Air Bnb. Lastly, don’t forget to have fun responsibly! Tag this to a friend who’s coming to Sinulog Festival.

For more information you can visit Sinulog’s official website

Source of feature image: www.cebu.gov.ph