The Higantes Festival 2026 takes over Angono, Rizal, the Art Capital of the Philippines, with a parade of giant papier-mâché higantes, up to ten feet tall. The festival runs from October 30, 2026 to January 1, 2027. The main events fall on November 15, with the Grand Parade, and the town fiesta on November 22–23, 2026.
The theme is “HIGANTE AT SINING: Ugat ng Kalinangan, Sagisag ng Pagkakaisa.” The official launch was held on October 31 at the Angono Gymnasium, where the official Calendar of Activities was also unveiled.
What to see
The Higantes Festival 2026 Grand Parade takes place on November 15, starting at 7:00 AM from SM Center Angono. Giant higantes fill the streets of Angono. Brass bands and devotees join the parade.
On parade day, the fun starts early. Higanteng Zumba begins at 6:00 AM at the Angono Municipal Ground. Then the Grand Parade steps off at 7:00 AM from SM Center Angono. After that, Higanteng Yell fills ML Quezon Avenue at 9:00 AM, followed by the Higantes Stop Dance and the Street Dance Exhibition at 9:30 AM. The BSP also launches its Pista ng Pilipinas commemorative coin at 10:00 AM on ML Quezon Avenue. In the afternoon, the cooking contests, the Marching Band Competition, and the eating contests run along ML Quezon Avenue. Finally, the Awarding of Winners starts at 6:00 PM, followed by a Fireworks Display at 7:00 PM and the Higantes Tugtugan Night at 7:30 PM.
Note: some travel guides list November 22, but the Municipal Government and Angono Tourism confirm the Grand Parade is November 15 — November 22–23 is the fiesta weekend.
A preview parade started at Plaza Rizal on October 31 at 4:00 PM. It followed ML Quezon Avenue to Doña Aurora Street in Barangay San Roque, crossed Paso Bridge, and ended at the Angono Municipal Compound.
On November 22, Bisperas Mayores starts at 7:00 AM at Rainbow Village. Then, on November 23, the Angono Town Fiesta starts at 6:00 AM at the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Clement. Later that day, the Fluvial Parade honors St. Clement. He is the patron saint of fishermen. The Basaan water-dousing also happens on November 23.
On November 15, the BSP holds a commemorative coin promotion at Plaza Rizal.
Higantes Festival 2026 parade route
The parade line forms at 6:00 AM along Rainbow Village, and the Grand Parade steps off at 7:00 AM from SM Center Angono on Sunday, November 15, 2026. The route below comes from the Municipality of Angono Public Information Division.
- The parade line forms along Rainbow Village up to SM Center Angono.
- It takes Quezon Avenue, then turns right down Concepcion Street (in front of AES-Central).
- Right on Chief Medina Street.
- Left on Aguinaldo Street (Brgy. Kalayaan).
- Left on M. Diaz Street (Sto. Niño).
- Right on Ibañez Street (Brgy. Sto. Niño and San Vicente).
- Left on Gragera Street (Brgy. San Vicente).
- Left on Doña Nieves Street (Brgy. San Vicente).
- Right on G. Garcia Street (San Vicente Ferrer Chapel and Baraka Bridge).
- Right on Doña Aurora Street (Brgy. Poblacion Ibaba to Krus).
- Left on Capt. Lazaro Street / E. Dela Paz.
- Right on Capt. Allano Street (Brgy. Bagumbayan).
- Left on Don Justo Guido Street (Brgy. San Pedro).
- Left on M.L. Quezon Avenue.
- Right on Doña Aurora Street (Pandayan Bookstore, Brgy. San Roque).
- Left at Paso Bridge.
- Left again on M.L. Quezon Avenue.
- The parade continues to the Angono Municipal Hall and ends in front of Malakas at Maganda.
Higantes Festival 2026 calendar
The full official calendar is below, from the poster unveiled at the October 31 launch. Also, check the official Angono Tourism page for last-minute changes.
| Date | Schedule |
|---|---|
| October 30 (Friday) | 9:00 AM — Trick or Treat, Angono Municipal Gym |
| October 31 (Saturday) | 4:00 PM — Parada ng mga Higante, Angono Municipal Plaza 6:00 PM — Launching of Higantes and Arts Festival 2026, Angono Municipal Ground 8:00 PM — Halloween Costume Contest, Angono Municipal Ground |
| November 3–30 | 10:00 AM — Mga Larawan ng Pista, 3rd Level Artwalk, SM Center Angono |
| November 4 (Wednesday) | 9:00 AM — 114th birth anniversary of National Artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco, Mountain of Eternal Peace |
| November 6 (Friday) | 1:00 PM — Marecakes Cake Design Contest (sponsored by Bakersfield), Angono Gymnasium |
| November 7 (Saturday) | 8:00 AM — On the Spot Painting Contest (Angono Atelier Association), Angono Gymnasium |
| November 8 (Sunday) | 6:00 AM — Battle of Endurance, Angono Gymnasium |
| November 9 (Monday) | 3:00 PM — Art Capital Bonsai Club Exhibit, Veterans Park |
| November 9–12 | 9:00 AM — Angono Duyan ng Sining (Angono Art Collective), South Wing Congress, Batasan Hills, Quezon City |
| November 10 (Tuesday) | 6:00 PM — YES Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, M.L. Quezon Avenue |
| November 10–12 | 9:00 AM — URSA 30th Founding Anniversary, Angono Gymnasium |
| November 12–30 | 1:00 PM — Angono Bonsai Club Exhibit, in front of Angono Tourism Center |
| November 13 (Friday) | 9:00 AM — Kanduli Cooking Contest, Plaza Rizal 9:00 AM — Beviamo Dessert Making Contest, SM Center Angono 7:00 PM — Sumayaw Sumapuso Dance Contest, Angono Municipal Gymnasium |
| November 14 (Saturday) | 4:00 AM — Higanteng Fun Run, in front of SM Angono (gun start 5:00 AM) 5:00 AM — Zumbasaan, Yupangco Open Court 8:00 AM — Pista ng Kalikasan, Paso Bridge |
| November 15 (Sunday) | 6:00 AM — Higanteng Zumba, Angono Municipal Ground 7:00 AM — Higantes Festival Grand Parade, from SM Center Angono 9:00 AM — Higanteng Yell, ML Quezon Avenue 9:30 AM — Higantes Stop Dance, ML Quezon Avenue 9:30 AM — Drum & Lyre Exhibition, Angono Municipal Ground 9:30 AM — Street Dance Exhibition, ML Quezon Avenue 10:00 AM — Launching of the BSP Pista ng Pilipinas commemorative coin, ML Quezon Avenue 1:00 PM — Balaw Balaw Cooking Contest, Angono Gymnasium 1:00 PM — Itik Cooking Festival, Angono Gymnasium 2:00 PM — Marching Band Competition, ML Quezon Avenue 4:00 PM — Higantitos Fashionista Contest, ML Quezon Avenue 5:00 PM — Itik Eating Contest, ML Quezon Avenue 5:30 PM — Burger Eating Contest, ML Quezon Avenue 6:00 PM — Awarding of Winners, ML Quezon Avenue 7:00 PM — Fireworks Display, ML Quezon Avenue 7:30 PM — Higantes Tugtugan Night, ML Quezon Avenue |
| November 18 – December 2 | 6:00 PM — Arts Festival, Angono Gymnasium 6:00 PM — Gunita Kay Ligaya, Angono Gymnasium |
| November 20 (Friday) | 5:00 PM — JBL Partybox Fest Truck, Bagumbayan Open Space |
| November 21 (Saturday) | 8:00 AM — International Art Exchange, Angono Municipal Gym |
| November 22 (Sunday) | 7:00 AM — Bisperas Mayores, Rainbow Village |
| November 23 (Monday) | 6:00 AM — Angono Town Fiesta, Diocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Clement |
| November 27 (Friday) | 6:00 PM — Higantes Music Fest, ML Quezon Avenue |
| November 28 (Saturday) | 6:00 PM — Tawag ng Kantahan, Angono Municipal Ground |
| November 28–29 | 8:00 AM — 9th Palihang Richard Gappi Angono Writers Workshop, Angono Municipal Hall Conference Room |
| November 29 (Sunday) | 5:00 PM — Gabi ng Pagtatanghal (Dugong Angono Teatro), Angono Municipal Grounds |
| November 30 (Monday) | 8:00 AM — Bonifacio Day, Plaza Rizal |
| December 1 (Tuesday) | 6:00 PM — Artist Night: Gabi ng Pasasalamat, Angono Gymnasium |
| December 5 (Saturday) | 5:00 PM — Photo Contest Awarding, Angono Municipal Lobby 6:00 PM — Awarding of the Angono Short Film Festival (Sining Sine: “Kabataang Angono: Kwento Natin To”), Angono Gymnasium |
| December 11 (Friday) | 5:00 PM — Fiestavaganza sa Higantes Festival, ML Quezon Avenue |
| December 12 (Saturday) | 6:00 PM — Ginoo at Binibining Angono 2026, Angono Municipal Gym |
| December 30 (Wednesday) | 9:00 AM — Rizal Day, Angono Municipal Gym |
| January 1, 2027 (Friday) | 8:00 AM — Angono Day (Ika-87 Taong Pagdiriwang ng Pagkakabisa ng Pagsasarili ng Bayan ng Angono sa Binangonan), Angono Municipal Hall |
History of the Higantes Festival
The Higantes Festival dates back to Spanish colonial rule, around the late 1800s. Angono was then a hacienda, and the ruling class allowed the townsfolk only one festival each year. The people used that one celebration to mock their landlords. They built giant papier-mâché figures in the likeness of the hacienderos, with commanding faces and hands on their waists. The word higante comes from the Spanish word for giant.
Local accounts say the townsfolk learned papier-mâché from the Spanish friars. The technique also traces to the Mexican piñata tradition brought by Spanish priests. Over time, the protest became a celebration. The higantes now honor San Clemente, the patron saint of fishermen, and each barangay builds its own giant for the parade. Some giants reflect what their village is known for. A village famous for balut, for example, makes a higante with a duck-shaped head.
The government supports higante-making to keep the tradition alive. A three-meter higante takes about a month to build. The head is the hardest part to make. The body uses bamboo or rattan strips, so one person can carry it through the long parade. The Basaan water-dousing is part of the tradition too. People splash water on each other for good fortune and blessings. The water recalls San Clemente, who was martyred by drowning. Young girls in colorful costumes and wooden slippers march with the parade too. They carry sagwán, wooden boat paddles, and shout “¡Viva, San Clemente!”
Why Angono
Angono is home to two National Artists. Carlos “Botong” Francisco was a National Artist for Painting. Lucio D. San Pedro was a National Artist for Music.
The festival honors San Clemente, the patron saint of fishermen. In short, it is a feast of art, faith, and community.
See our photos from the Higantes Festival 2018 for a look at past parades.