Kinabayo Festival

Every July 24 the City of Dapitan celebrate 

the Kinabayo Festival. Kinabayo is    an  exotic

  and colorful   pageant   re-enacting 

the Spanish-Moorish  wars, particularly the Battle

 of Covadonga.

In  that battle the Spanish forces under

 General Pelagio took their last stand

against the Saracens.

                 Presently, the Kinabayo Festival is a merging of religious,

                    historical, cultural, social and economic elements,

                 These include sports competition, night presentations,

                           a beauty pageant, agro-trade fairs,

                              street dancing and showdown,

                         street parties and live band concert.

They were able to reverse the

 tide of the war with  the miraculous 

 apparition of  Saint James,   the Apostle.

 The addition of local color and innovations

 has made this annual festivity

a popular attraction to visitors of Dapitan.