Samal Islands Philippines
Island Garden City of Samal
Samal Island Festivals

IGACOS FESTIVAL
Celebrate with Samaleños on their founding anniversary every March 7. The three-day festivity highlights sand sculpture competition (Pag-ukit sa Pantad), fluvial parade of colorful boats (Samal Regatta), banca race (bangkarera), beach volleyball, and mountain-biking tour, among others. The merry-making is accentuated with the colorful Stilts (karang) Mascot Competition.

KABASAN FESTIVAL
In the Sama dialect, “kabasan” means “seashells”. Thus, Kabasan has been chosen as the festival’s name to celebrate the spectacles and splendors of the Island City. More particularly, Kabasan Festival is a thanksgiving celebration for the bounties of the sea of which Samal Island has been well endowed.

Kabasan Festival is usually staged every year during the last week of May as an expression of the indomitable zest of life in Samal Island! Come to Samal and celebrate Kabasan Festival with us. . . .

HUGYAW MADAYAW SAMAL
Hugyaw Madayaw Samal is a three day celebration filled with fun, games, music, dances and presentation of cultural practices of the Sama tribe performed by the lumads (natives) and other locales.

One of the main events of Hugyaw Madayaw Samal is the Sayaw sayaw sa Todak which todak means a musical instrument and props or accent made of bamboos used by the Sama tribe when planting rice, harvesting, thanksgiving, and during wedding anniversaries and other special occasions. It is usually presented during dusk as a culmination and always been followed by the search for the Byaneng (mutya) ng Samal, a beauty contest where island beauties will don ethnic/Sama- inspired costumes and a head dress made of indigenous materials.

Hugyaw Madyaw Samal is an attempt to preserve the Sama culture which is gradually diminishing.