NEW VENUE, MORE SEATS: Dinagyang adds third venue to meet ticket demand

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

From five, to two, and now three final performance areas.

The Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. announced Thursday, Jan. 8, that the corner of Luna and Huervana streets in the La Paz district will serve as an additional performance and judging area due to high demand for tickets.

The announcement came less than 48 hours before the opening salvo for the Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan and the Dinagyang Tribes Competition on Jan. 10 and 11, respectively.

It also comes less than two weeks before the festival’s major activities on Jan. 25.

The two previously confirmed performance areas announced in November were the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand and the Iloilo Sports Complex.

IFFI said the addition of the Luna–Huervana site responds to public demand for more viewing areas and seating, allowing more spectators to watch the tribes’ full street performances.

The foundation said it consulted participating tribes and is coordinating closely with the Iloilo City government, safety and security committees, traffic offices and other stakeholders to ensure the orderly implementation of the added judging area.

IFFI Executive Director Joyce Clavecillas told Daily Guardian in a phone interview that the new venue was finalized Wednesday after a series of meetings with the tribes and city officials.

Clavecillas said IFFI met Thursday afternoon with various agencies to formally announce the addition and coordinate preparations, including personnel deployment.

“There is still high demand, and we are almost nearing sold out of tickets in the Iloilo Sports Complex,” she said.

“We have also been receiving feedback requesting an additional area, and we consulted with the tribes, and that area can already be traversed by them,” she added.

“There will be no major changes because we will not be using another area that is separate from the route of the performances,” Clavecillas said.

She said the new venue has a landscape similar to existing performance areas, eliminating the need for major adjustments to choreography or props.

“At least in that area they will walk through it,” she said.

“In that area, they will supposedly have a street dance, and we just converted it as a judging area due to the feedback that we received,” she added.

Clavecillas said the new venue will have about 300 to 400 seats, with the final number still being determined by the stage committee.

Asked why the Iloilo Provincial Capitol was not chosen, Clavecillas said some sections of the Capitol grounds are narrow and not linear.

For the opening salvo on Jan. 10 and 11, performances will remain limited to the Freedom Grandstand and the Iloilo Sports Complex.

Clavecillas confirmed that tickets for the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand are already sold out.

The Freedom Grandstand has a seating capacity of about 2,000, with 30% of tickets allocated to the general public and the rest reserved for dignitaries.

Tickets for the Iloilo Sports Complex, which has a capacity of nearly 4,000, are nearing sold out, with some seats set aside as complimentary for the provincial government and sponsors.

IFFI said it will soon announce details on ticket availability and purchase points for the new venue.

Previous editions of the Dinagyang Festival featured multiple performance areas across Iloilo City, with the Freedom Grandstand serving as the main venue.

Other stages in past festivals included the Iloilo Provincial Capitol, Delgado corner Mabini streets, Quezon corner Ledesma streets and Iznart Street.

IFFI earlier reduced the number of performance areas this year due to space constraints and efforts to ease traffic congestion in the City Proper ahead of the festival.