The local food scene in the Philippines is vibrant and beautifully diverse. Delicious food makes the world around, and here it’s no different. Check out these food festivals that celebrate the local cuisines in the country.
1. Lanzones Festival
The indigenous people celebrate the harvest every October, and it’s this time of year when the tropical fruit lanzones are ripe for the picking. The festival highlights a line-up of various activities, including food tasting, singing, and street dancing. Tourists can eat sweet lanzones picked from Mambajao, Camiguin.
2. Manggahan Festival
Join in on the “eat-all-you-can” food festival, where a promo on mangoes will set you back only a few hundred pesos. Taste the ripe mangoes from Guimaras, Iloilo, every April. The people of Guimaras celebrate their independence and promote their delicious mangoes every year. Filipinos and tourists can participate in food-eating contests.
3. Dinagat-Bakasi Festival
The Dinagat-Bakasi Festival celebrates the fishing culture and livelihood. The prestigious festival is a major attraction every August. Visitors can see ritual dances that mimic the movement of the eel. Join in on cooking contests and celebrations.
4. Bawang Festival
Glorified as the main ingredient in most Philippine dishes, garlic is celebrated every year in May at Sinait, Ilocos. The festival is held to celebrate Philippine history and to pay tribute to Ilocano garlic farmers. Visitors can witness a parade of garlic floats, street presentations, and street dancing.
5. Dinagat-Bakasi Festival
The Dinagat Festival is also held to celebrate the community’s fishing culture and livelihood – yet the festival was later associated with the town’s main marine industry known as the Bakasi.
6. Itik Festival
There are hundreds of exotic dishes in the Philippines, but itik (native duck) deserves a special celebration. The town of Victoria in Laguna celebrates a rich culture in duck farming. Traders, citizens, and tourists celebrate the culture of duck farming at the “Duck Raising Centre of the Philippines.”
7. Lechon Festival
Succulent pork meat and roasted pig skin are at the core of the Lechon Festival. This festival celebrates this feast during momentous occasions like christening, birthdays, or weddings.
Filipinos celebrate a variety of cuisines and share their love for food on every occasion. Learn more about the regional and ethnic cuisines of the Philippines.