Every Christmas, stalls are set up in front of the Abellana National School. These stalls sell locally-made products at a reasonable price. For instance, Sinulog shirts are available at PHP 150 to PHP 180 each. You can also buy batik wallets at PHP 50 to PHP 60 each. One stall also sells Carcar-made shoes at PHP 320 to PHP 500 per pair. For the sweet tooth, mangosteen sticks, peanut brittle and durian candy are also available at the place.
The Fuente Osmeña Circle comes alive during the Sinulog season. Every night, students from different schools perform in front of the crowd of locals and visitors to the city. Food stalls are also set up at the circle for the audience looking for a bite to eat. You can find different food items on display at the place to allow you to enjoy the shows over dinner.
Every year, department stores and malls set up decorations as part of the Sinulog celebration. This year a Visual Merchandising Contest will be held to see which establishment has the best-looking décor in the city. You can check them out and have your pictures taken in front of them.
Each year a Sinulog Queen is selected from among the performers of each contingent. The contestants of the event are also presented during the Sinulog Queen Runway Competition on the Thursday before the grand parade. The queen is then crowned on Friday.
As part of the religious aspect of the Sinulog Festival, you can join the Walk with Mary dawn procession from the Fuente Osmeña Circle. The event typically attracts thousands of Marian devotees who wake up very early in the morning to join the procession with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Two days before the grand parade, the image of the Child Jesus is brought from the Basilica del Santo Nino to the St. Joseph Parish in Mandaue City. On its way back to its home at the basilica the next day, the image is brought first to the island of Mactan before being brought back to Cebu City in a fluvial parade. The event starts with the beating of drums and fireworks displays and shouts from devotees of the Child Jesus. The image will be carried on a “galleon” and will lead a small flotilla of ships and small boats while being showered with petals by private planes and Air Force helicopters. If you are lucky enough, you can join the fluvial parade on board one of the ships or you can also wait for the flotilla pass by.
On the afternoon after the fluvial procession, a religious procession is held in honor of the Santo Nino. Devotees from different parts of the country join the event, which is probably one of the biggest religious processions in the country. It is organized by the Augustinian order and the image is brought along some of the major streets of the city passing through a number of barangays.
The highlight of the Sinulog Festival is the grand parade on the third Sunday of January. It is the most-awaited activity as locals and visitors watch contingents from different parts of the island and other provinces dance with fervor in honor of the Santo Nino. It is one event visitors to the Queen City of the South should not miss if they find themselves in the city on that day.