Sapian’s Tilibyugan Festival draws hundreds of visitors
By Felipe V. Celino
By Felipe V. Celino
SAPIAN, Capiz — Hundreds of visitors joined the successful celebration of the Tilibyugan Festival in Sapian from July 21 to 26, 2026.
The municipal government organized a series of cultural, recreational, and community activities throughout the six-day celebration.
Mayor Joe Villanueva, municipal officials, barangay leaders, volunteers, peacekeeping officers, and residents worked together to make the festival meaningful and successful.
The Tilibyugan Festival is Sapian’s annual cultural and thanksgiving celebration in honor of the town’s patroness, St. Anne.
The festival also highlights community unity and the town’s abundant mussel, or talahong, harvest.
Its name is rooted in the local word “tibyug,” which means to lift or support one another.
The celebration combines Sapian’s tradition of cooperation with the promotion of its mussel industry.
The weeklong festival featured community parades and cultural dance performances around the town center.
Visitors also enjoyed local seafood specialties, traditional Sapianon dishes, and nightly gatherings at the RCB Gymnasium.
Other activities included playground demonstrations, school cluster competitions, and traditional street dancing known as sadsad.
The Mayor’s People’s Day, an initiative of Villanueva, highlighted the festival’s culminating celebration.
The program provided free meals to fiesta visitors who had no friends or relatives hosting them for lunch.
Villanueva has continued to welcome residents and visitors from other communities since assuming office as mayor.
Municipal officials described the festival as Sapian’s biggest annual celebration and a tribute to St. Anne, local culture, and community solidarity.
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