It’s still too early to be posting about the feast of Santo Niño de Cebu in which, the Sinulog Festivities are held for. I am timing this post to make foreigners (who come to Cebu City for the festivities) to be aware of the peak hotel booking season. As early as November, many hotels in Cebu City are already fully booked in advance for January when the grand Sinulog dance parade will be held on the third Sunday of the month. If you are planning to come home or visit the city on that day better book as early as possible before slots run out.
I suggest you book hotels that are within the Sinulog grand dance parade route if you want to have a comfortable view and distance of the event. Last years’ parade routes included the streets of P.(Pantaleon) Del Rosario, Imus Avenue, General Maxilom Ave., and Dalan Osmeña (Osmeña Blvd.). Check out Google map and search for hotels in these areas. These routes usually have been the same over the years. It may slightly change in time.
There are hotels that are located along these roads or you may choose the ones nearest them. You don’t want to book hotels that are too far away from these roads because traffic is closed in these roads and many traffic routes are affected. You’d have to walk your way wherever you want to go within the city and you’d have to snake your way within the crowd and revelers around downtown and uptown area. Usually, traffic is open back to normal right after the Sinulog Grand Parade at around 7pm. But even then, crowds are still thick that traffic is still hampered to a slow movement depending on the proximity of streets to activity areas.
Aside from watching the Sinulog Mardi Gras from the comfort of your hotel windows or positioning yourself along the parade routes you can also enjoy watching the contingents from the Grandstand. You need to buy entrance ticket/s at the Cebu City Sports Complex in advance to view the contingents at length with their dance crafts and colorful costumes where judging is done. You can check out sale of the tickets the Sinulog Foundation Office or through their Facebook page. Moreover, you can also check form there postings about upcoming Sinulog-related activities during the month-long celebration. Watch out for their updates.
