The Western Visayas Tourism Assembly is an annual gathering of all provinces and cities of Western Visayas geared at showcasing the tourism potential of the region. Roxas City and Capiz Province hosted the event this year held last December 4-6 . I was able to witness event with fellow bloggers Junelle, JunJunn, Eric, and Sheila. During the first day, we were treated with the unique opportunity of seeing some of the best festivals in Western Visayas. The street dance parade started from the city plaza all the way to Villareal Stadium, where they performed their  spectacular 5 to 10 minute choreographed dances.

I was particularly excited on seeing the Masskara Festival for the first time. I was supposed to go to Bacolod City last October to experience the Masskara fever but it didn’t push through so I’m really happy that I finally got to see the winning group perform. I also got to see the Pintaflores Festival (from San Carlos City, Negros Occidental), which is a big contender in the Sinulog Festival of Cebu City. I really enjoyed their colorful and lively performance and am amazed at how much intricate work they do to make their costumes.

Manggahan Festival of Guimaras

Pintaflores Festival of San Carlos City, Negros Occidental

Paraw Regatta Festival of Iloilo City

Ati-atihan Festival of Ibajay, Aklan

Ati-atihan Festival of Kalibo Aklan

Sinadya sa Halaran Festival of Roxas City, Capiz

Tribu Busilak of Antique

Canon (Al Cinco de Noviembre) Festival of Bago City, Negros Occidental

Masskara Festival of Bacolod City

Pasalamat Festival of La Carlota City, Negros Occidental

Kahilwayan Festival of Santa Barbara, Iloilo

Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo City

The parade started later than the scheduled time that day and ended after dark. Although I enjoyed the parade of festivals, nothing beats experiencing them during the festival date in their hometown. This is especially true for Ati-atihan of Kalibo. It’s just not the same seeing one group doing their parade than seeing the whole streets of Kalibo fill up with a frenzy of color, movement, and merry making.

Western Visayas region is composed of the provinces of Iloilo, Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, and Negros Occidental and the highly urbanized cities of Iloilo and Bacolod. The region is one of the most visited parts of the Philippines and is known internationally for Boracay Island of Aklan, Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo City, and Masskara of Bacolod City.