Toslob Festival is a cultural and religious festival in Oslob, Cebu, Philippines every December 8. Its calendar of activities coincide with the feast of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception.
Toslob Festival is one of the cultural fests in Pasigarbo sa Sugbo.
Etymology
Toslob Festival comes from toslob, meaning to dip in water or to soak, from which the name of the town Oslob is derived.
According to oral tradition, a Spanish colonizer encountered a native and asked the name of the settlement. The native thought the foreign colonialist was asking about what he was doing, so he replied toslob, referring to the act of dipping into a sauce.
However, according to writings of Augustinian friar Fray Gregorio Ros, OSA, (translated by Jobers R. Bersales) the name of the town was derived from “one of the springs near the town center which disappears when the tide flows out to sea; the disappearance of this water in low tide is expressed by the natives through the word Oslob.”
History of Toslob Festival
In Oslob, the town’s fiesta was organized as a way to express thanksgiving for the blessings and as a celebration of merry-making. Launched under the name Sadsad Festival, it was rebranded Sadsadayon Festival when Ronald Guaren was municipal mayor in 2007.
In 2008, it was renamed Toslob Festival.
Devotion to Our Lady of Immaculate Conception
Spanish colonizers introduced Christianity in Oslob during the colonial period. In 1599, its church was a visita of Carcar Parish and then of Boljoon Parish in 1690.
On January 8, 1848, Oslob Church seceded and became a parish with Fr. Juan Jose Aragaones as the first parish priest. It also became the matris of the church of Nueva Caceres until 1877.
Its stone church was designed by Bishop Santos Gomez Maraño and constructed during the tenure of Fr. Julian Bermejo, OSA, in 1830 and finished in 1847. The belfry was added within the tenure of Fr. Apolinar Alvarez, OAR, in 1858.
The church was damaged and repaired throughout its history, including the damages sustained during World War II and by fire in 1955. It caught fire in 2008 and repair works were completed in two years.
Oslob Church is a heritage church as declared by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Later, it was declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Cultural Treasure and the marker was installed in May 2023.
Toslob Festival Activities
The mainstays of Toslob Festival are the street dancing competition and grand ritual showdown where dancers showcase their talent, creativity, and dazzling choreography.
How to reach Oslob, Cebu
From Mactan-Cebu International Airport, take a cab or bus to the South Bus Terminal and then get on a ride to Oslob.
References
- Celebrate Toslob Festival 2024! Cebu Provincial Tourism. December 2, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2025
- 50 towns, cities to compete in Pasigarbo sa Sugbo. Here’s what their festivals are and the order of performances. SunStar Cebu. August 27, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2025
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu. Retrieved July 3, 2022 Balaanong Bahandi: Sacred Treasures of the Archdiocese of Cebu. Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Inc. and University of San Carlos Press. 2010. ISBN 978-9715390187.
- Elizaga, Troy. The Formation of Towns and Parishes in Cebu, Philippines. Retrieved August 23, 2025
- Oaminal, Clarence Paul (June 27, 2018). Oslob, Cebu. The Freeman. Retrieved August 23, 2025
- Oaminal, Clarence Paul (December 18, 2019). The religious clash of Cebu in 1907. The Freeman. Retrieved August 23, 2025
- Bersales, Jobers R. (February 1, 2017). Oslob controversies, ca. 1882. Cebu Daily News. Retrieved August 23, 2025
Toslob Festival Summary
Name Toslob Festival Celebration Culture, Religion Church Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Parish Church Contact (032) 344 1757 Country Philippines Date December 8 Email tourism.oslob.gov@gmail.com Facebook web.facebook.com Location Oslob, Cebu Organizer Municipal Government of Oslob Patron Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Previous Name Sadsad Festival, Sadsadayon Festival Religion Roman Catholic
| Name | Toslob Festival |
|---|---|
| Celebration | Culture, Religion |
| Church | Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Parish Church |
| Contact | (032) 344 1757 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Date | December 8 |
| tourism.oslob.gov@gmail.com | |
| web.facebook.com | |
| Location | Oslob, Cebu |
| Organizer | Municipal Government of Oslob |
| Patron | Our Lady of Immaculate Conception |
| Previous Name | Sadsad Festival, Sadsadayon Festival |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |