Ati Atihan Dance Festival

Has anyone ever noticed how energetic Filipinos can get during Countdowns, Christmas Parties, Birthday Parties or just normal gatherings? Well it is in their blood to know how to party!

Ati-Atihan actually means “make-believe Atis’, Atis being the indigenious natives of the island before the arrival of the Malay in the 10th century and the Spanish in the 16th century.
Dubbed the Filipino version of Mardi Gras, this annual festival held in Panay, which is nearby the famous beach Boracay, lasts for a week starting from the 3rd weekend of January to honour the arrival of Santo Niño by Magellan to the native Queen of Cebu in 1521. Many towns in Panay hold their own Ati-Atihan Festival but the biggest would be in Kalibo. Everybody and anybody can participate, dance, beat on a drum or just take photos while in the middle of the tribal groups. The main highlight of the festival is the native dance competitions pitched to rhythmic and mesmerizing drumbeats that run continuously throughout whereby they are dressed in vibrant costumes. Competitors do it for local prestige or cash prizes.