This Week in Vigan (September 05 to 11, 2016)

Vigan City will celebrate the UNESCO World Heritage Cities Solidarity Cultural Festival from September 4 to 10, 2016. The World Heritage Cities Solidarity Day is celebrated by all cities around the world that have heritage sites every September 8. Vigan City’s celebration is aimed at preserving its 630 heritage structures that date back from the Spanish period.

On September 6, Historia Oral, a show about Vigan’s history and culture will be presented at Vigan Culture and Trade Center at 8:00 AM.

Competitions on dance, oration, and puppetry will be held on separate days as part of the festival.

The opening ceremonies for the Solidarity Festival Food and Trade Fair will be held at the Vigan Convention Center parking area on September 5 at 8:00 AM. The food and trade fair will feature local delicacies such as bagnet (deep fried crispy pork belly), longganisa (Filipino-style sausage), and bibingka (glutinous rice flour) and Ilocandia products such as woven mats, abel Iloco blankets, and wood furniture. Products from nearby provinces will also be available at the fair which will last until September 10.

As part of the UNESCO World Heritage Cities Solidarity Cultural Festival, presentations such as vocal chorus, duet, poetry reading and chanting will be held at Plaza Burgos on September 9 at 7:00 PM. On September 10, another cultural show will be held at Plaza Burgos as part of the culmination activities for the week-long festival.

Since the week is filled with activities with a specific time, visitors can plan their tour based on the schedule of the festival. The dancing fountain show at Plaza Salcedo starts at 7:30 PM during weekdays and has a 7:30 PM and 8:30 PM show on weekends.

A temperature of 30°C is expected for the majority of the week. Heavy rains might happen every morning with stray thunderstorms in the afternoons. Activities that are scheduled at Plaza Burgos during the week will be transferred to the Vigan Convention Center in case of heavy rains.