Festivals are among the most colourful expressions of community life in the northern Philippines. Across Northern Luzon, towns and cities mark the year with celebrations built around patron saints, harvests and local products, bringing street dancing, music, food and crowds out into the streets.
Dagupan City in Pangasinan, where the photographs in this post were taken, is a coastal city on the Lingayen Gulf that is especially well known for its bangus, or milkfish, raised in the fish ponds and pens around the city. Its festival season is a chance for residents to celebrate that local identity and to welcome visitors.
The photographs in this post are from a 2010 visit to Dagupan during its festival celebrations.
City of Dagupan
For another festival celebration from the same year, see our photographs of Aliwan Fiesta 2010.