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Sinulog Festival in Cebu City

Writer's picture: DesonDeson

Updated: Jan 22



This year, Barry and I, as partners, attended our first Sinulog Festival in Cebu, achieving our 2025 goal to participate in as many festivals as possible. The Sinulog Festival, often the year's first major event, is preceded by the Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo, Aklan. We might consider attending the Ati-Atihan Festival in 2026, as both festivals overlap this year. We have previously visited Cebu and explored popular spots like Canyoneering adventures, Bantayan Island, and Moalboal. This year, our main aim was to experience the Sinulog Festival.



The Sinulog Festival stands as the most grandiose festival in the Philippines, and our experience confirmed this notion. While we attended the grand parade on Sunday, Barry had yet to witness the Sto Nino parade on Saturday. Our itinerary was somewhat delayed due to our arrival in Cebu on January 18th, Saturday, in the evening.



How to get there:

In November 2024, we secured a flight reservation to the festival, anticipating the challenges of last-minute bookings due to the anticipated high attendance. However, we deferred booking accommodations until later, as we wanted to avoid potential disruptions caused by flight changes.


Our flight itinerary is Davao to Cebu via Bacolod, with a return flight from Cebu to Davao via Iloilo. This route was chosen due to its cost-effectiveness.


A week prior to the flight, Cebu Pacific Airlines informed us of a scheduled change. While we had anticipated such a change, it was advantageous. The flight will no longer connect via Bacolod, as the aircraft has been upgraded. Consequently, our flight will now fly directly to Cebu, eliminating the need for a layover and saving time.


Accommodation:

Regarding time savings, it appears to have been a negative experience. While we may have saved time during the layover, we were unfortunately scammed with our accommodation.

I had booked our accommodation through Airbnb a week prior to our flight schedule, as I was aware that accommodations were nearly or almost sold out during that time. However, the host of the Airbnb informed me the same day of our flight that she was unaware of the booking approval, as the unit was already paid for by a long-term tenant. Consequently, the Airbnb booking was canceled.


While we were en route to the airport for our departure, Barry attempted to secure alternative accommodations through Booking.com and successfully found a unit that cost nearly Php8,000 for two nights.


Upon arriving at the Horizon 101 hotel, the staff informed us that they had not received any booking from us and that we had been scammed. The Booking.com website remained unresponsive, resulting in the loss of the money we had paid. As a result, we wasted several hours waiting and seeking a solution.


The hotel guard mentioned that there was a homeowner willing to rent out his unit for two nights. We visited the property and found it to be unsuitable for rental purposes, as it required significant repairs and was not clean. Despite this, we had no choice but to accept the offer.


The rental fee was excessive, at P6,000 per night, so we paid P12,000 for two nights. While we were initially concerned about the cost, we ultimately decided to settle in as we needed a place to stay.


The property was situated in a favorable location with a balcony that provided a view of the parade. It also had a separate bedroom and a 33 sqm unit. As long as the property had adequate lighting, water, and air conditioning, we were satisfied with its amenities.

However, the property lacked Wi-Fi, so we relied on our mobile data for internet connectivity.


Itinerary:

There is no predetermined itinerary. We adhere to a flexible approach, arriving early to avoid crowds. The parade commenced at 10:00 AM, although individuals began securing their positions as early as 6:00 AM.


Expenses:




Experience:

Overall, our experience was more than we anticipated. While the scam accommodation was a disappointment, we also encountered an unexpected challenge on the final night. Upon reaching the elevator to return to our room, the only key we had inadvertently dropped fell into the elevator’s edge, rendering it inaccessible.


Fortunately, we contacted the unit owner, and the maintenance department had a spare key. Despite the inconvenience, we were able to retrieve our belongings.

The crowd was exceptionally large, and the parade was chaotic. While we initially considered returning, we believe that it would be more enjoyable with additional companions.





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