ILOILO CITY – This city is set to resume the physical celebration of the Dinagyang Festival in January after two consecutive years of virtual celebration.

“It is high time we go back into the streets and exclaim: Viva! Viva! Señor Sto. Niño!” said Mayor Jerry Treñas in a statement.
“Digital no more, Dinagyang Festival is back with a roar!!!” Treñas added.
The 2021 and 2022 editions of the annual festival that honors the Santo Niño (Holy Child Jesus) were digital celebrations organized by the Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. (IFFI), the San Jose Parish Church, and the city government.
In lieu of actual live events, the performances of participating groups depicting the folkloric story of Bornean immigrants making a pact with the tribal Ati people of Panay Island and their eventual Christianization were pre-taped.
The 2021 online edition of the Dinagyang Festival was praised as the country’s best tourism practice during the Covid-19 pandemic.
It was awarded as the Grand Winner of the Pearl Awards by the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP) last December.
Aside from the highlights of the festival, also expected to return are the parades, food festivals, exhibitions, pageant, and sports competitions.