Top 5 Festivals In Davao City That You Should Witness

Davao City is noted for its thriving economy, abundant natural resources, tourist attractions, and distinctive cuisine. Local and international tourists have been flocking to Davao City not only to see, explore, and visit its beautiful beaches and breathtaking sights, but also to experience and witness the city's loud music, frantic dancing, outrageous costumes, feasts, and a variety of day and night activities in celebration of various festivals that attract visitors. Festivals in Davao City last for various amounts of time; they might last for a single day, a week, or a month.

Here are the top five festivals every traveler must experience and witness when visiting Davao City.

Disclaimer: The top five festivals published here were gathered from various sources on the internet, including Click Davao Blog, Travel Triangle Blog, and Philippine Traveler Blog.

1. Kadayawan Festival

Image from: Melo Villareal (https://outoftownblog.com/davao-kadayawan-festival-2018-schedule-of-events-and-activities/)

The Kadayawan Festival is the most popular festival in Davao and one of the most awaited in the Philippines. It is celebrated annually in Davao City every August. The Kadayawan Festival is a thanksgiving event and a tribute to the lumad, a collective group of indigenous people living in Davao City, celebrated by Dabaweños. The festival also serves as a celebration of nature's gifts, cultural and historical riches, and abundant bounties and harvests of life. Visitors can watch and participate in the city's magnificent floral parade and street dance, as well as participate in a variety of activities and observe the city's distinctive types of fresh and real flowers and food stalls.

2. Chinese New Year Festival

Image from: Liliane YC (https://pixabay.com/fr/photos/mardi-gras-festival-philippines-1201064/)

The Chinese New Year Festival honors the city's amicable connections with the Chinese community while promoting Chinatown's development as one of the city's key historical, economic, and cultural centers. It is celebrated with dance, music, food, gifts, and a lot of enthusiasm. A motorcade, film showings, exhibits, temple visits, evening entertainment, and the Chinatown Night Market are among the festival's highlights. Every year in January, the festival is held in Davao City.

3. Pasko Fiesta sa Davao

Image from: Macky Lim (https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1874102/davao/local-news/subdued-pasko-fiesta-this-year)

Pasko Fiesta is a Christmas festival in Davao City that lasts the entire month of December every year. Beautiful sparkling decorations and festival lights adorn barangays, public parks, roads, and buildings across the city. The highlights of the festival include Parol sa mga Barangay (a parol display contest), Kahayag sa Pasko (light up competition of establishments), and Tugtugan sa Pasko Fiesta (battle of the bands). Aside from that, one of the reasons why different travelers travel to Davao City is to witness and experience exciting sights and sounds, blazing with mall sales, bazaars, food festivals, and night markets filled with wholesome entertainment throughout the day and night.

4. Araw ng Dabaw

Image from: Toto Lozano (https://mindanews.com/wp-content/uploads/16sayawan1-copy.jpg)

Araw ng Dabaw is celebrated as the Foundation Day of Davao City. This festival is a week-long celebration that culminates every 16th day of March. The festival's highlights include a socio-civic and military parade, a sports parade, fireworks, and the Mutya ng Dabaw (Miss Davao) selection on the 15th of March, which is the most anticipated event.

5. Chinese Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

Image from: Davao Group 6 – 3B (https://www.facebook.com/DavaoGroupVI3B/photos/pcb.112145204118345/112145110785021)

The Chinese Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival. This festival is the second most important festival after the Chinese New Year for the Chinese people. Every year, on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Lunar Calendar, people commemorate this festival. The celebration is unique in that it takes place during a full moon, which is portrayed as a symbol of harmony, happiness, and reconciliation. The interesting thing about the festival is that it celebrates when there is a full moon, as it is depicted as a symbol of harmony, happiness, and reunion. The festival is worth witnessing and experiencing by travelers all over the world because it highlights the moon's appreciation (moon gazing), eating moon cake together, and making Chinese Moon Festival lanterns.

 

Above all the listed top five festivals in Davao City that you should witness, which festival would you like to witness and experience first? Let us know by leaving a comment below.