The Kabkaban Festival is Carcar City’s yearly festival for its patron saint, St. Catherine of Alexandria. It is held in November, around her feast. It features street dancing by school groups, religious rites and the Miss Carcar pageant.
For the wider picture of the city, read our complete guide to Carcar City.
When is the Kabkaban Festival?
It is held in November, around the feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria. Festivalscape gives 25 November as the festival day. The Freeman reported that the 2013 celebration, with its street dancing, was held on 23 November. So the programme can start before the 25th.
Programmes change from year to year, so confirm the schedule before you plan a trip.
What is the festival for?
It honors the city’s patron saint. The Freeman described the 2013 celebration as the people’s devotion and thanksgiving to Sta. Catalina. It also described a ritual dance believed to drive away bad spirits, and said the festival was first conceived as a yearly agro-industrial fair showing off Carcar’s products.
Why is it called Kabkaban?
The Freeman says the name comes from the old name of Carcar, “Kabkab” or “kabkaban”, after the ferns that grew in abundance there. Festivalscape gives a second explanation, from “bakbakan”, a Cebuano word for a fight. Sources differ, so treat the origin as unsettled.
What happens during the festival?
Street dancing and parade
Street dancing is the centerpiece. In 2013, at least ten school groups took part, with dances showing Filipino traditions such as courtship, weddings, baptism, graduation, bayanihan, harvest, fiesta, Flores de Mayo and Christmas. That year there were no prizes at stake.
Religious activities
Festivalscape lists a procession, a novena, the blessing of the palayok (a clay pot used for cooking) and a pontifical mass.
Pageants, sports and contests
The Miss Carcar and Binibining Kabkaban pageants are part of the festival, along with a sports tournament and other contests (Festivalscape). SunStar reported that a Miss Carcar was crowned during the Kabkaban Festival in November 2013 (SunStar, 2014).
More festival photos
What should you do if you visit?
- Plan your day. Read our guide to things to do in Carcar City to combine the festival with the church, museum and rotunda.
- Eat local. The lechon stalls are inside the public market, and chicharon, ampao and bocarillo stalls line up around the rotunda (SunStar). See our Carcar lechon guide.
- Book a room early if you want to stay overnight. Browse hotels in Carcar.
- Keep your valuables secure in the crowd.
