"My Love Affair With Iloilo City" Top 5 Page for this destination Iloilo City by cyndymc

Iloilo City Travel Guide: 277 reviews and 871 photos

Iloilo City's Dinagyang Festival - Iloilo City

I Shall Return, Iloilo City!

We went to Iloilo City primarily for the 2011 Dinagyang Festival, and for a tour of some old Spanish-built churches in the city and nearby towns. In the course of trying to learn more about the city, I read up on the city profile, befriended some locals (called Ilonggos), sampled the cuisine and explored various places of interest. I learned so many things and instantly fell in love with Iloilo City, the people and the culture. I definitely would come back in the future, and hopefully have a chance to witness all their festivals.

Getting To Know Iloilo City

The New Provincial Capitol Building in Iloilo City

Iloilo City is the capital city of Iloilo Province which is in Western Visayas. Although it is the seat of the provincial government, Iloilo City maintains its independence from the province. (I wouldn’t dare talk about the issue of political jurisdiction because I myself am confused. I just mentioned it because an Ilonggo friend told me that if I had some tourism-related questions to be answered, I will have to address my concerns to the Provincial Tourism Office, not the City administration.)

Located in the southern shores of Panay Island facing Iloilo Strait and Guimaras Island, Iloilo City is bounded on the north by Pavia, on the northeast by Leganes, on the east by Oton, and on its eastern and southern coastline by the Iloilo Strait. Iloilo City is the center of the Iloilo-Guimaras Metropolitan Area or Metro Iloilo-Guimaras (MIG) Metropolitan Area.

The Districts of Iloilo City

Jaro District, With Towering Belfry As Landmark

Having a fascination for old churches, I wondered why Iloilo City had more than one church. I learned later on that Iloilo City is actually composed of geographical districts which were formerly separate towns, namely Jaro, Molo, Mandurriao, La Paz, Villa Arevalo and Iloilo City Proper. (This explains why all districts have their own churches. All of them are under the Archdiocese of Jaro.) The only geographical district that was not formerly a town is Lapuz which was a sub-district of La Paz until 2008.

My Iloilo City Travel Page will not include tourist destinations outside the city's geographical boundary like Miagao, Guimbal, Tigbauan and San Joaquin. Please visit their respective Travel Pages by clicking on the town's name.

Pros and Cons

In a nutshell:I love Iloilo City and I'm definitely going back!

Last visit to Iloilo City: Jan 2011
Intro Updated Mar 25, 2011
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Reviews (25)

Try Homegrown Ilonggo Dishes Restaurants (5)

We wanted to try Ilonggo dishes, but we didn't want to eat in the stalls outside during the Dinagyang Food Festival. We... more travel advice

High Quality Dinagyang Souvenir T-shirts - Iloilo City

High Quality Souvenir T-shirts Shopping (5)

Fiesta Favorite Souvenir specializes in high quality souvenir t-shirts with limited signature designs. We bought all our... more travel advice

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We "accidentally" found a branch of Deco's Pasalubong Shop while we were walking in the busy streets of Iloilo City... more travel advice

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Food Trip: Savor Ilonggo Cuisine Things to Do (9)

Dinagyang Food Festival is a much awaited event by both locals and tourists. For four days starting January 20, 2010,... more travel advice

Transportation (4)
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Comments (3)

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shintarojon Jan 8, 2012 at 5:53 AM

mas gusto ko ang tribu kasag, ang mga alimasag :)
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cachaseiro Jul 15, 2011 at 10:21 PM

That is really cool photos from the festival.
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mircaskirca May 12, 2011 at 1:58 AM

Cindy, you have captured a true spirit of this most interesting festivall! It seems to be even grandeur than the Ati-Atihan (what's the main difference, btw?), so I really look forward to attending this colourful festivity :) Thanks for the great insight!