A Sinulog Survival Guide

Sinulog is not one event. It is a fortnight of processions, novena masses and street parties with a nine-hour dance parade in the middle of it, and almost everyone who has a bad time at Sinulog has one because they turned up for the parade without knowing that.

Which day you actually want

The grand parade is the third Sunday of January and it is the one on the posters. The fluvial procession at dawn the day before is quieter, stranger and, if you only see one thing, arguably the better one — a flotilla on the water at first light, then the image carried through the streets.

The solemn foot procession on the same afternoon is the one the city itself turns out for. It is slow, enormous, and not a spectator event so much as a thing you end up inside.

Where to stand

Anywhere on the route works for the first hour and nowhere works for the ninth. The contingents perform in front of the judges and then walk the rest of it, so a spot near the start gets you full performances and a spot near the end gets you tired dancers and more room. Pick one.

What to bring

• More water than you think, and then more
• A hat, and sunscreen you have already applied
• Cash in small notes — nothing takes a card on the route
• Shoes you are willing to lose
• A meeting point, because the mobile network will not cope

Booking a room

Rooms in Cebu City go months ahead for the Sinulog weekend and the prices go with them. Inside the cordon is worth paying for if you want the fluvial procession; anywhere on a jeepney route is fine if you do not.

Pit Señor is not a chant you join in with. It is a chant you get swept into somewhere around hour four.

— Every first-timer, eventually