BLOG 26: Sinulog Throwback: Celebrating the Heartbeat of Cebu

A burst of color, culture, and faith that perfectly embodies Cebu's true spirit, Sinulog is a festival unlike any other. With its colorful parades, colorful costumes, and heartfelt dances, the Sinulog Festival, which is held every January in honor of the Santo Niño, brings the city to life. However, Sinulog is more than just a show; it is a representation of Cebu's enduring customs, pride, and commitment. We reminisce about the memorable events and the enthusiasm that permeates Cebu's streets during this yearly celebration as we travel back in time to the center of this legendary festival. Let's take another look at the sights, sounds, and tales that contribute to Sinulog's status as a beloved aspect of Cebu culture.

Hello everyone! I know you’re excited to join Sinulog 2025, but before that, I would like to share my Sinulog experiences with you, and I hope you will also share your own experiences during Sinulog.

Sinulog 2024 was held at the SRP near SM Seaside. The first thing we did was go to IT Park to catch a bus going to SRP, but there were no available buses, and the line was very long. When we saw a jeepney heading to Mambaling, we hopped on and arrived near UC-METC in Mambaling, where we had to walk for about 25 minutes to reach SM Seaside. Throughout the walk, we saw plenty of vendors selling Sinulog paraphernalia, face paints, henna, and various foods. Everything was quite pricey, but that was predictable because it was Sinulog.

There were many loud sounds, lots of foreigners, and the worst part was that it was very hot and extremely crowded. Even inside SM Seaside, it felt like a stampede because of the large crowd. It was really hard to find a restroom because you had to stand in long lines.

This is my boyfriend's cousin with his girlfriend. We accompanied them to this festive event because it was their first time joining Sinulog. As you can see in the background, this is one of the SM stalls where you can find a variety of Sinulog t-shirt designs, decorations, and headdresses. They bought the same shirts, but my boyfriend and I just stuck with the t-shirts we already had.

Since we had already met at SM Seaside, we decided to go out and walk through the heat of the sun to SRP to watch the street dancing, beautiful floats, and some artists.

As we walked along the streets, we saw plenty of artists. Actually, we saw many, but unfortunately, some of the pictures are missing. Just like this one, we saw Bisdak influencers such as Dansoy, Medyo Maldito, Snake Princess, and many more. We also saw various social media influencers whose names I forgot, but one of them was Prince Adrian, also known as 'Charot.' Additionally, we saw Kobe Paras, Andre Paras, and Benjie Paras. The biggest highlight was seeing Joshua Garcia.

We also saw Jack Roberto, Paul Salas, and some other GMA artists. The floats were very beautiful, along with the lovely Cebuanas from Miss Cebu 2024, as well as Miss Earth Air 2023, Yllana Marie Aduana. Actually, I have videos of all the artists, but they are all in my boyfriend's cousin's files. We made sure to take videos as a remembrance.

After walking for so long in the hot weather, we were all tired, but we finally reached the lower part of the SRP streets, where we saw some food stalls. We decided to eat and rest for a while before heading back to SM Seaside to prepare for the fireworks display. However, we found several stalls offering free shampoo and conditioner, so we grabbed some. We decided not to eat because all the food was very pricey, and even bottled water was expensive. Instead, we bought some bread as snacks and water. We rested for about 30 minutes before continuing our walk back to SM Seaside.

As we walked through the streets, we saw various Disney characters and cosplayers. Here are some snaps of Anna and Kristoff from the Frozen movie, as well as Mickey Mouse. There were many others, like Ariel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and more. Unfortunately, we didn’t get pictures because the guards were being very strict by then.

If you’re wondering what the streets of Colon look like during Sinulog, I can’t provide the pictures because I lost some of them. Just refer to the background of this photo, where you can see how crowded it is, and all the jeepneys are full. Some people walk approximately 12 km from Colon to Fuente Circle. In our experience in 2024, since there were no available vehicles to ride from SM Seaside to Colon, we ended up walking around 27 km.
As for the Basilica Sto. Niño, it was complete chaos and a stampede. Many people fainted because they couldn’t breathe due to the overwhelming crowd inside the church. I recommend that if you wish to visit the Basilica, go during dawn, around 3:30 AM to 5:00 AM, as this is when you’re least likely to experience a stampede.

We ended the day with tired but fulfilling experiences. This was my second time experiencing Sinulog, and I’m happy that my boyfriend and his cousin were there for their first time. It was truly a memorable experience. If you’re wondering if we have any plans for Sinulog 2025, it will depend on the weather conditions. However, it’s exciting that Sinulog will return to being held at the Abellana Sports Complex, with all the beautiful floats parading through Colon Street and heading to Fuente Circle going back to the Abellana Sports Complex.

Advice for the upcoming Sinulog 2025: always stay safe. Wear comfortable footwear, preferably shoes, and drink lots of water to stay hydrated. Bring an umbrella and apply sunscreen. It's also a good idea to carry smaller bags to avoid any holdups or the risk of losing important items. If you have a history of asthma, or any heart or lung conditions, I recommend not joining Sinulog as it can be risky due to the large crowds and the possibility of a stampede. Pregnant women should also consider staying home for their safety. This is just friendly advice based on my own experience. However, it’s a wonderful experience to join Sinulog while you’re still young.

PIT SENYOR!✨

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and connect with my thoughts today. I’m excited to continue sharing my journey with you, and I hope you found something here that resonated or sparked an idea. This blog is a space for growth, inspiration, and conversation, and I’d love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or experiences in the comments. Feel free to share if something stood out to you. Here’s to many more stories, lessons, and moments of connection ahead! See you in the next post!