Pattaraday Festival 2012

The Pattaraday Festival in Santiago City is a celebration of the founding of the city and the different ethno-linguistic groups who have settled in Santiago and makes it the melting pot that it is (source: tourism). The festival is aptly named, as Pattaraday is an Ybanag (pron. EE-ba-nag) term meaning unity. The Pattaraday festivities happen every first week of May, with tons of activities lined up.

I was able to watch the Pattaraday float parade and street dancing on its second to the last day. It was extremely hot that day, but I managed to stay alive despite the intense heat.

Some brought their own bench while waiting :)

tons of people lined up on the street to watch the parade despite the heat

If you do plan on attending the Pattaraday Festival, I suggest staying in Santiago for a week to be able to attend all the events. If you just want to watch the parade, which usually happens on Saturday, you have to be in Santiago by Friday since the parade starts early morning the next day.

For hotels in Santiago, the most decent one I can recommend is Hotel Amancio, which is just along the national highway. You can check its website here.