Ibalong Festival: The Ultimate Guide

Legazpi, Albay is not just known for the famous cone-shaped volcano. If you’ve been looking for more wonderful reasons to visit the Queen City of South Luzon, we got one for you: the Ibalong Festival based on the Ibalong epic.

So what exactly is this festival? Is worth traveling to? Why do people join the festivities in the first place? 

If you’ve been asking at least one of the questions above, you’re at the right place. In this post, we will talk about everything you need to know about the spectacular Ibalong Festival. 

What Is Ibalong Festival?

Ibalong Festival is a series of celebrations that take place over a week or two. 

The name “Ibalong”, the inspiration for the festival’s name, refers to one of the most important epics in the province. The Ibalong epic describes the myths and stories of the area long before the arrival of the colonizers. 

Hence, the Ibalong Festival celebrates not only a cultural landmark, but also the people of the province. It also honors their resiliency in the face of the string of disasters that regularly befall the region due to its typhoon-prone geographical location. 

In a nutshell, the Ibalong Festival in Legazpi City features choreographed dances performed in the streets across the city. As you may well know, most celebrations held throughout the Philippines include dance numbers (talk about the many Filipino talents). 

These performances reflect the various stories and legends included in the Ibalong epic of the province. As a bonus, dancers perform with the spectacular Mayon Volcano, with its flawless cone, as their backdrop. 

Students from high schools located all across the province of Albay also typically perform the street dances. Occasionally, however, participants from outside the province take part in the street dance. This serves as a competition in addition to being a performance, with stellar prizes of course. 

Street dances are just one highlight of the Ibalong Festival, which lasts for a week or two. The festivities also involve a variety of other opportunities to have a great, memory-worthy time. In addition, fireworks displays, drag races, street parties, nightly concerts by bands, and flea markets greet locals and tourists alike. 

Thanks to mouth-watering Bicolano cuisine, one of the most prominent aspects of the event includes food fairs and demonstrations of wow-worthy culinary techniques.

Where Is Ibalong Festival Celebrated?

As mentioned above, the Ibalong Festival is celebrated in the city of Legazpi, Albay.

Unfortunately, just like many festivals, the pandemic halted Ibalong for two years. 

Thankfully, the Legazpi government currently prepares for the return of its lively and colorful Ibalong Festival after almost two years of suspension. So, you can expect a comeback with a bang. 

Ibalong Festival Description

The histories behind festivals in the Philippines are extremely diverse. Spoiler alert: the majority of Philippine celebrations have some sort of religious or historical basis. 

However, the Ibalong Festival in Legazpi City, Albay is one of a kind. Since the festival is based on the Ibalong epic, it doesn’t have religious roots. 

The epic tells the story of three heroes who fought to maintain peace in the town of Ibalong: Baltog, Handyong, and Bantong. They battled legendary beasts such as the tandayag (a big hog), the dambuhala (a monster with one eye), the oryol (a half-woman and half-serpent creature), and a giant named Rabot.

In addition, the festival’s events, most notably the Mutya ng Ibalong pageant, give concrete form to the stories of valor and moral fortitude celebrated. Contestants of the said pageant get selected based on how well they exemplify these qualities. 

Moreover, the festival boasts the carnival, a Mardi-Gras-inspired parade held every year to inaugurate the celebrations. It also sets the tone for more stellar events that will take place throughout the two-week event.

In addition to the beauty contest and the carnival, one of the most exciting parts of the event is the yearly Ibalong Festival Bazaar and Weekend Market. Done along Legazpi Boulevard, hundreds of sellers come from all over the region to display their items there. 

Ibalong Festival Costume

The festival also boasts a procession of energetic dance acts accompanied by bright colors and the loud pounding of various musical instruments. 

The men are armed (not dangerously) and outfitted as warriors. Meanwhile, the women wear elaborate garbs befitting their status as maidens. The characters from the Ibalong epic are also painstakingly re-created and paraded around.

Ibalong Festival Place of Origin

The Ibalong Festival’s place of origin is Albay, Philippines.

The Legazpi City festival honors the epic tale of Ibalong, accompanied on his journey by three legendary heroes named Baltog, Handyong, and Bantong. People parade through the streets while wearing masks and costumes to emulate the appearances of the heroes and the villains.

They also recreate the famous fights that found their way into the history of Bicol. Moreover, the  Ibalong Festival seeks to convey a sense of warmth and generosity to all locals and tourists. 

What Is the Tempo of Ibalong Festival?

People participate in this celebration by parading through the streets to the stirring beat of drums and the kalutang, a bamboo percussion instrument. They do so while donning masks and costumes depicting the heroes and villains from an epic story.

Is Ibalong Festival Religious or Nonreligious?

The Ibalong Festival is not a religious celebration. Instead, it centers on the epic tale of Ibalong accompanied on his journey by three legendary heroes Balthog, Handyong, and Bantong.

Delicacies You Shouldn’t Miss During Ibalong Festival 

You know what they say, you can’t enjoy a festival without sampling the delicacies. Here are the mouth-watering dishes you shouldn’t miss during the Ibalong Festival: 

1. Bicol Express

This Bicol spicy dish is among the most popular in the country.

Bicol express features meat (usually pork) mixed with coconut milk, sautéed shrimp paste, and chili. The spiciness and saltiness add to the flavor, making it a perfect pair for rice. You can find this anywhere in the Philippines, but nothing beats the taste of Bicol expresses cooked in Albay. 

2. Inulukan

This aromatic dish serves as a version of laing. It almost tastes like pinangat but with slight recipes. Instead, inulukan features shredded meat of river crabs (ulok) wrapped in several layers of taro leaves (gabi) cooked with lime and coconut milk. 

During the Ibalong Festival, you can also check out the stores along the street of Camalig for individually packed frozen Inulukan. You can take them out to your hotel or bring them as pasalubong to your loved ones. Trust us, your family and friends will love you more for getting them this dish!

3. Tiwi Halo-Halo

Pro tip: you can find Bicol’s most popular halo-halo in Tiwi, Albay. While not in Legazpi, the trip will be worth your time. 

With a unique, tasty blend of sweet and salty flavor, Tiwi halo-halo is to die for. Its finely mixed ingredients genuinely reflect the Albayano’s style. The concoction of snowy perfect shaved ice, minatamis na saba (bananas cooked in sugar syrup), and ube halaya (purple yam) will make you forget your name. 

The halo-halo also has leche flan and fruit salad to bring the signature taste to the next level. Indeed, your trip to Tiwi will be a sweet escape! 

4. Ginulay na Santol

Roughly translated as cotton fruit with vegetables, ginulay na santol features unique flavors that will blow your mind. 

For one, the crisp flavor comes from the vegetables and cotton fruit. The gata (coconut milk) then adds a creamy hint that accentuates the cotton fruit’s flavor. 

5. Sili Ice Cream 

For those of you who have an obsession with ice cream, you must try Albay’s sili ice cream. Think about it as chili mixed with milk, but not in a gross way. 

Many restaurants or cafes also let people choose the level of spiciness in their sili ice cream. As a bonus, you can go loco for malunggay, cucumber, calamansi, munggo, pili, kalabasa, and a lot more unique ice cream flavors. 

6. Pili Cheesecake

Looking for a locally made dessert while enjoying Ibalong? The delicious pili cheesecake got your back. 

Bakers use pili nuts used both as a garnish for the cake and as an ingredient in the crust. However, we found out that the pili meat serves as the most memorable part of the dish.

Moreover, the pili cheesecake features a robust flavor reminiscent of creamy pili nuts. It does not taste like many other cheesecakes which mainly rely on cream cheese for flavor. 

7. Kandinga

You should look for a friend to go to a kandinga restaurant with you because you won’t be able to enjoy everything alone. As the word before the restaurant suggests, kandinga is a must-try dish. It essentially serves as the Bicolano equivalent of bopiz.

On the other hand, Bicolanos make kandinga using lungs. It also doesn’t have a wet texture like bopiz. 

8. Pinangat

Pinangat is a mainstay on the Ibalong Festival list of local cuisine. Cooks have two methods to prepare it: traditionally and deconstructed. The dish has similarities with Bicol express and laing.

Locals usually create pinangat using traditional methods. First, they press coconut milk using a wooden device. Then, they pour the coconut milk or gata over gabi leaves. Next, they tie the leaves to preserve the flavor. Lastly, they cook it. 

Locals also like eating pinangat with pandesal instead of rice. They swear it’s better. You shall see for yourself though, shouldn’t you? 

9. Special Sili

Plan a visit to a sili farm, such as the one in Salugan, Camalig, if you can. After all, this is what Albay is famous for, and visiting the fields where this cherished spice is grown is both entertaining and educational.

If luck is on your side, you could even get to sample a unique variety of sili that contains no spice or heat at all. Time to find out what sili tastes like without the burning sensation.

10. Cocido

Albay offers a fantastic substitute for sour soup or sinigang na baboy loved by many. Meet cocido, ladies and gentlemen. 

Created using local veggies, talbos ng kamote (sweet potato), and occasionally buho, the dish gets its sourness from calamansi. Cocido also typically uses fish for the meat

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The Ibalong Festival, with its mouth-watering delicacies, joyous activities, and energetic dancers in colorful costumes, deserves to be another reason for visiting Albay. 

Are you planning to go to the Ibalong Festival? Let us know in the comment section below!

Check also our Masskara Festival, Pahiyas Festival, and Pintaflores Festival Guides.

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