‘A DINAGYANG FOR ALL’: Cheapest-ever PHP300 Dinagyang tickets sell out quickly

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Dinagyang Festival offered its lowest general admission ticket price on record at PHP300, a move that resulted in an immediate sellout and pushed several performance areas to full capacity.

The Dinagyang Festival, held annually in Iloilo City every January, is one of the Philippines’ largest religious and cultural celebrations honoring the Santo Niño, drawing thousands of local and foreign spectators.

Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu said the Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. deliberately lowered ticket prices this year to make the celebration more accessible to Ilonggos.

“We made sure that this time, our tickets are cheaper because the direction of the IFFI and the city government is a Dinagyang for all. It is the first time that our Dinagyang tickets were at PHP300. Unfortunately, it is now sold out,” she said during the opening salvo of the festival on Sunday, Jan. 11.

Dinagyang Festival ticket prices have varied by year and tier, with gold and silver options traditionally offered for prime viewing areas.

Since 2025, tickets for the Dinagyang Tribes Competition have been sold through www.dinagyangtickets.com, with prices ranging from PHP2,000 to PHP2,500.

Based on the festival’s official website, this year’s tickets for the tribes competition at the Freedom Grandstand and the Iloilo Sports Complex are already sold out.

For Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan, remaining tickets are available only at the Freedom Grandstand under the gold tier priced at PHP2,000.

Kasadyahan tickets for the Iloilo Sports Complex were turned over to the Provincial Government of Iloilo, with Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. announcing that these seats will be distributed for free, prioritizing participating local government units.

To accommodate the growing audience, IFFI opened an additional performance and judging area at the corner of Luna and Huervana streets in La Paz, near Gaisano La Paz.

The new judging area can accommodate approximately 300–400 seats, although ticket sales details have yet to be announced.

The mayor said this year’s Dinagyang will be the “biggest ever,” with a combined seating capacity of more than 9,000 across three performance areas.

“This 2026, we are now once given a chance to start with a deep sense of devotion that will guide us through the year. Our living faith has carried us through challenges and will continue to lead us forward united, resilient, and strong,” she said.

IFFI President Angel de Leon Jr. said this year’s celebration will be “more grandiose,” citing the increased number of warriors and drummers per tribe to match the expanded performance venues.