Pasinaya Festival

Pasinaya Festival is the largest national multi-arts festival in the Philippines. Organized by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), major activities and events are held at the CCP Complex, Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines every first week of February.

The festival aims to attract the public, spark their interest in culture and the arts, and unveil a snapshot of CCP’s institutional activities for the rest of the year. Participants of the festival can donate any amount (recommended: fifty pesos)—a program called see-what-you-can, pay-as-you-can—and they are given access to exhibits, galleries, performances, workshops, tours, and other activities.

History of Pasinaya Festival

Pasinaya Festival comes from the Filipino word pasinaya, which means opening ceremony or debut.

Launched in 2005, it began as a way to introduce the artistic programing of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and as a kick-off event to the National Arts Month. Through the years, it has expanded its thrust by becoming a platform for exhibits where artists across different disciplines and genres can showcase their works to wider audience, and education in the arts and arts-making. It also serves as an opportunity to deepen network of contacts and to encourage collaborations.

Pasinaya Festival was cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. In the following two years, its events were streamed online. After restrictions on public gathering and health protocols were lifted in 2023, it drew about 38,000 participants and collected a total donation of over Php 250,000.

In 2024, the festival made history as the activities of the festival also took place in Visayas (Iloilo City, Iloilo) and Mindanao (Tagum City, Davao del Norte). It was the first time it was conducted in multiple venues outside of Metro Manila.

Pasinaya Festival Activities

Pasinaya Festival is opened with a program and performance of the festival jingle, Sulong Pasinaya. Its calendar is filled with events grouped into the following:

• Palabas
• Palihan
• Palitan
• Pamilihan
• Paseo Museo

Palabas (show or presentation) refers to booths, exhibits, concerts, cultural shows, and performances of artistic works in dance, film, literature, music, theater, and visual arts.

Palihan (anvil) is a list of workshops that people can join.

Palitan (exchange) is a venue for meetings and conferences among “festival programmers and arts group”

Pamilihan (marketplace) where art masterpieces, festival merchandise, food, beverage, and other items are offered for sale.

Paseo Museo is a cultural and artistic tour offering hop-on, hop-off transport to different museums and galleries. Participants can visit over a dozen partner institutions.

How to reach CCP Complex, Pasay City

The CCP Complex is about eight kilometers (30-minute drive) from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

References

• MOVING FORWARD WITH CCP PASINAYA: SULONG. Cultural Center of the Philippines. January 18, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024
• Angie Quadra-Balibay. Cultural Center of the Philippines reinvents Pasinaya as Tuloy Po Kayo online festival. Good News Pilipinas. March 11, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2024
• Ren Aguila. CCP’s Pasinaya draws in the crowds with a dose of culture. GMA News Online. March 17, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2024
• Pasinaya fest Sunday. Philippine Daily Inquirer. February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2024

Pasinaya Festival Summary

Name	Pasinaya Festival
Celebration	Arts
Country	Philippines
Date	First week of February
Established	2005
Facebook	www.facebook.com
Instagram	instagram.com
Location	Nation-wide; major events are held at CCP Complex in Pasay City
Organizer	Cultural Center of the Philippines
Tiktok	www.tiktok.com
Website	culturalcenter.gov.ph