Miguel and I had the pleasure of visiting Sagada during the Sagada Etag Festival. Here are the pictures of our amazing experience. We did not plan to make it in time for the festival, but it turned out we made it just in time for the annual Sagada Etag Festival. Below are some of the best pictures of the festival with a little bit of text to explain. We really enjoyed it and hope you like the pictures. Let us know in the comments which picture you like best.

Sagada is a small city, based in the ‘Mountain Province’ of the Philippines. Every year, Sagada organizes the Sagada Etag Festival, a festival highlighting the local history and tribes. It takes places around the end of January or the beginning of February.

On one of the festival days, Sagada hosts a parade during which all the local tribes dress in their traditional clothes to honor their ancestors.

While the parade moved through the streets, the men used traditional instruments to make music for the women to dance to.

Children taking part in the Sagada Etag Festival

A lot of the local schools brought their students to Sagada, to take part in the parade. They all seemed happy and excited to be there, laughing and having fun with their friends

There were children playing instruments and dancing as well.

The boy on the photo above is our personal favorite. The look on his face is priceless! We even printed this photo and used it in a ‘souvenir’ frame that we made of our trip to the Philippines.

These boys, dressed in traditional clothes, carried a stick with dried meat hanging on it.

The local police even showed up and had a little flag. They even had traditional clothing on, supporting the local communities.

Different groups and organisations also took part in the Sagada Etag Festival.

Of course also Miss Sagada took part in the parade, together with the second runner up.

Great fun and Great photos

I was happy that we unexpectedly came across the Sagada Etag Festival. It made me think of my hometown and the cultural / folkloric festival I grew up with. If you are planning a trip to the Philippines and you happen to travel during the time of the festival, I would definitely recommend going to the festival if you have the chance. It’s a great way ‘to go local’!