Aliwan Fiesta

Aliwan Fiesta is an annual event that gathers different cultural festivals of the Philippines in Star City Complex in Pasay wherein contingents compete in dance parade and float competitions. Organized by MBC Media Group together with Cultural Center of the Philippines and the cities of Manila and Pasay, the event is dubbed as "the Philippines' Grandest Fiesta," with prizes totaling ₱3 million. Aliwan Fiesta, which began in 2003, aims to showcase the different Filipino cultures and heritage not only to the people in Metro Manila but also to the rest of the world. The contingents, meanwhile, aim to promote their respective regions both economically and tourism-wise. It was originally organized as a visual extravaganza for the Christmas season, but it has since been held during the summer months of either April or May. Aliwan is a Tagalog word for "entertainment" or "amusement". Aliwan Fiesta festivities are covered live on DZRH-TV annually.

Competition

Aliwan Fiesta is divided into three categories: Cultural Street Dance Competition, Float Parade, and Reyna ng Aliwan competition. Each of the country's 17 regions have the option to send up to two contingents representing its respective cultural festival, as well as an option to send a representing float and or Reyna ng Aliwan contestant. However, the roster of entries for the cultural dance and float competitions are limited. In 2008, the number of slots for cultural dance was increased from 20 to 24 groups, which was completed as early as January. Each contingent in the cultural street dance competition—totaling up to 100 dancers as well as hundreds of musicians and support staff members—have undergone stringent elimination cycles during various local festivals before being chosen to compete in Aliwan Fiesta. The highlight of the event is when all competing festivals show off their dance skills while parading for four kilometers along Roxas Boulevard from Quirino Grandstand to Aliw Theater grounds located near CCP. The festivals range from the well-known such as Dinagyang of Iloilo City, Sinulog of Cebu City, and Panagbenga of Baguio, to the obscure but just-as-interesting feasts like Alikaraw of Hilongos, Leyte, Padang-Padang of Parang, Shariff Kabunsuan, and Pamitinan Festival of Rodriguez, Rizal. Side events also include a bazaar featuring different regional products, a photography contest, an inter-scholastic dance competition, Filipino street games, and a fireworks display.
Meanwhile, the participating floats are only allowed to use local textiles, produce, flowers, and other products specific in their representing city in decorating the vehicles. Each float, portraying local folklore and indigenous traditions, is topped by a participant of Reyna ng Aliwan serving as muse. Laoag's Pamulinawen Festival has the distinction of winning the float competition the most number of times.
The province of Cebu, in turn, holds the record of the most wins in the Reyna ng Aliwan Pageant—six consecutive times from 2009 until 2014, and recapturing the crown in 2016 and 2017. However in 2019, Cebu's Sinulog festival queen who won Reyna ng Aliwan was stripped of her title for having violated the terms and conditions of her reign. The Panagbenga festival queen assumed the title and her duties for the rest of the year—the third time a Baguio lass wore the crown. The Reyna ng Aliwan pageant is considered the training ground of many national pageant winners, who have also gone on to compete—and win—international titles. Among these are Jamie Herrell and Karla Henry who won Miss Earth; Rizzini Alexis Gomez and Angeli Dione Gomez, who won the Miss Tourism International crowns back-to-back; Cynthia Thomalla, who was crowned Miss Eco International; Sharifa Aqeel who was named Miss Asia Pacific International; Vera Eumee Reiter, who won Mutya ng Pilipinas; as well as Mary Jean Lastimosa, Rogelie Catacutan, and Ahtisa Manalo, who won Binibining Pilipinas titles.
The top ten contingents in the cultural dance and float competitions receive cash prizes, with the top float winner receiving P500,000 and the winning cultural dance group getting P1 million as well as the bragging rights of becoming the champion of Aliwan Fiesta. Meanwhile, the Reyna ng Aliwan receives P100,000.
Lumad Basakanon of Cebu's Sinulog, Tribu Panayanon of Iloilo's Dinagyang, and the Manggahan Festival of Guimaras have all represented the country in various international festivals overseas. Aliwan Fiesta itself was featured in the Philippine pavilions at the 2011 Prague Quadrennial on Performance Space and Design, held in the Czech Republic; the Philippine delegation won the special children's prize for its efforts.

Aliwan Fiesta winners

Festival Dance (Street Dance) Competition

Special awards

Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo City has had the most wins in the cultural dance category, first winning in 2004, followed by four straight championships from 2010 to 2013, as anchored by different contingents from various public high schools in Iloilo.
Another contingent from Cebu, Sinulog sa Carmen, also won third place year 2008.
Other Aliwan Fiesta streetdancing champions include Halad Festival of Midsayap, Cotabato, Dinagyang's Tribu Atub-Atub, Pintados de Pasi of Passi City, Iloilo, Dinagyang's Tribu Paghidaet, Dinagyang's Tribu Pan-ay, and Tribu Katbalaugan for the Manaragat Festival of Catbalogan.
In Aliwan Fiesta 2014 the Aliwan Hall of Fame awardee Lumad Basakanon of Sinulog Festival of Cebu reclaimed the Aliwan Fiesta Streetdancing Championship. Meguyaya Festival of Upi, Maguindanao came in second place, T'nalak Festival of South Cotabato in third place, followed by Pamulinawen Festival of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte in fourth and Caragan Festival of Mabalacat City, Pampanga in fifth place.

Cultural Festival	Champions	Year
Dinagyang Festival	8	2004, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2023, 2024
Sinulog Festival	4	2006, 2007, 2008, 2014
Manaragat Festival	2	2015, 2016
Halad Festival	2	2003
Buyogan Festival	1	2009
Pintados de Pasi Festival	1	2005

Tugtog ng Aliwan

Year	Cultural Festival	Winner	Origin
2017	Meguyaya Festival	Nangi National High School	Upi, Maguindanao
2015	Sagayan Festival	Datu Piang National High School	Datu Piang, Maguindanao

Float design

Year	Champion	2nd Place	3rd Place	Runners-Up
2007	Guinakit	Desposorio Festival	Iloilo City: The Next Big Thing	Kalilang Limbonan Pinaginasan sa Maguindanao Panagbenga 2007 Chrislam: Unity in Diversity Boling-Boling Evo Pili: The Majestic Tree
2006	Biag-Ni-Lam-Ang	The Sabutan Rainbow Parrot Fish	Boling-Boling Festival	Panagbenga: Let A Thousand Flowers Bloom Himag-Ulaw Festival Pagayam Cry of Santa Barbara Antipolo Maytime Festival Awang Halamanan Festival
2005	Sabutan Festival	Paradise Found	Idiay Bangir	Desposorio-Pagpupugay sa Masaganang Buhay Halamanan Festival: Hardin ng Paraiso Passinhon nga Kultura Amligan Ta Layag Gensan Dinagyang Festival Ragsak Ti Biag The Grand Dundang
2004	Tawid	Let Thousands of Flowers Bloom More Than The Usual	Kanggunina	Ang Paghubog sa Banga ng Buhay Tangguan Ibanyuhay sa Rizal Kahilwayan Festival Apoy Daramba Dinagyang Festival Ciudad de Flores
2003	Pamulinawen Festival	Singkaban Festival	Hermosa Festival	Padang-Padang Festival Higantes and Parejadoras Panagbenga Festival Asia Brewery Sapatero Festival
2003	Guinakit Festival	Panagbenga: Let A Thousand Flowers Bloom	Dinagyang Festival Pamulinawen: Sunshine City Torogan sa Ranao

Year	Champions	Runner Up	Third Placer
2017	Santa Cruz de Mayo of Tacloban City	Kapaginaul sa Maguindanao of Datu Piang, Maguindanao	Al Cinco de Noviembre of Bago City, Negros Occidental
2015	Santo Niño Fluvial Float of Samar	Sagayan Festival of Datu Piang Maguindanao	Sakuting Festival of Dolores, Abra
2014	Bambanti festival of Isabela	Utanon festival of Dalaguete, Cebu	Indayog ti Sabsabong of Baguio
2013	Bahandi Han Eastern Visayas of Alang-Alang, Leyte	Balinali Sang Gadung of Mangudadatu, Maguindanao	Gak't A Kastili sa Banobo of Northern Kabuntalan, Maguindanao
2012	Pamulinawen	Ang Lingganay	Sagayan Fiesta
2011	Biday a Pinangasturian	Kumpit sa Kutawato	Singkaban Fiesta
2010	Kanggulagna sa Maguindanao	Bahandi Han Dagat	Kagkawing sa Maguindanao
2009	Abel Iloko	Lemba	Dinagyang
2008	Kalesa - Pamulinawen	Peacock - Boling Boling	Sinulog
2007	Guinakit of Sultan Kudarat, Shariff Kabunsuan	Disposorio Festival of Hagonoy, Bulacan	Iloilo City: The Next Big Thing of Iloilo Dinagyang
2006	Biag-Ni-Lam-Ang of Laoag City	The Sabutan Rainbow Parrot Fish of Palanan, Isabela	Boling-Boling Festival of Catanauan, Quezon
2005	Sabutan Festival of Isabela	Paradise Found of Baguio	Idiay Bangir of Laoag City
2004	Tawid of Laoag City	Let Thousands of Flowers Bloom More Than The Usual of Baguio	Kanggunina of South Cotabato