President Marcos has declared Monday, Jan. 20, a special nonworking holiday in Tarlac City for the 2025 Kaisa Festival.

Proclamation No. 773, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Jan. 17, aims to allow the people of Tarlac City to celebrate the occasion properly.

"It is but fitting and proper that the people of the City of Tarlac be given full opportunity to participate in the occasion and enjoy the celebration," the Proclamation read.

Originally, Tarlac City celebrated the Malatarlak Festival, named after a type of grass Indigenous to Luzon. This festival was changed to the Melting Pot Festival in 2012 under Mayor Ace Manalang, highlighting Tarlac's diverse cultural heritage from Ilocano, Tagalog, Pampangueno, and Pangasinense backgrounds.

In 2017, Mayor Cristy Angeles renamed it the Kaisa Festival. The name is derived from the Filipino word "magkaisa," (to unite). It symbolizes the unity of the city's inhabitants in facing challenges and recognizing blessings.

The festival, which also commemorates St. Sebastian, includes a wide range of secular activities organized by the city government such as job fairs and trade fairs, float parades, music festivals, beauty pageants, and cultural shows.

This year's Kaisa Festival activities started on Jan. 12 with the Kaisa Food and Trade Fair. The sixth Pana-Pana Festival Street Dance Competition is scheduled to cap the celebration on Jan. 19.