Dagyang Ta! sa National Museum Iloilo

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/By Phillippe Angelo T. Hinosa

Celebrate the Dinagyang Festival at the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) Iloilo, starting with a free visit to the museum until 8 PM, from January 23 to 25, 2026.

Bring your family and friends to the historic old Prison of Iloilo, and learn more about the unique cultural and natural heritage of the region.

Now in its second year, the Dagyang Ta! sa NMP Iloilo is a visitor engagement activity that offers free, fun, and creative activities to the public, including the crowd favorites: Dinagyang warrior costume, which allows visitors to don festival-inspired attire, and face painting facilitated by museum staff and student interns.

Visitors may also create their own festival wearables, like colorful and fancy headdresses and earrings using feathers, beads, and other cute crafting materials.

These crafting activities are free on January 24 and 25, 2026, starting at 9 AM.

For tourists and balikbayan Ilonggos, bring home a hablon from Miagao and Oton, a tinubkan or embroidered dresses, scarves, and bracelets made by the Panay Bukidnon master weavers of Calinog, a handwoven and handpainted bayong from Janiuay, among other locally made products displayed in the museum pop-up stalls.

It is also a chance for you to meet and interact with our weavers and Panay Bukidnon master embroiderers.

A new feature this year is the “Museum Passport”, which is a booklet that presents pictures of selected collections accompanied by guide questions.

Visitors are encouraged to explore the galleries, search for objects, and read exhibition texts to complete the activity, offering an interactive, self-guided museum experience.

Dagyang Ta and other visitor engagement activities of NMP Iloilo seek to build meaningful connections with museum audiences through enjoyable, relevant, and enriching experiences that highlight local cultural heritage.

From the Hiligaynon word dinagyang, meaning merriment, Dagyang Ta reinforces NMP Iloilo’s commitment to keeping the museum a dynamic space for learning and enjoyment while celebrating Iloilo’s 58-year-old festival heritage.