Every third week of August, Davao City holds the much-awaited “Kadayawan” Festival, dubbed as the festival of festivals, known for its grand celebrations such as street dancing, floral float parade, cultural festivities, street parties, and concerts.

The Kadayawan Festival is Davao City’s annual festival, which celebrates life and thanksgiving for nature’s bounty, the wealth of culture, the bounties of harvest and serenity of living. The festival’s name is taken from the Mandaya word “Madayaw” which means “valuable”, “good” and “beautiful.”

It was said that during the olden times, the tribes living in the foothills of Mt Apo would hold a thanksgiving feast to thank the creator for their bountiful harvests.

The festival in its current form was first celebrated in 1986 as Apo Duwaling Festival, the name represents the city’s three icons: Mt Apo, Durian and the Waling-Waling orchid.  In 1988 during the term of then newly elected City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, it was renamed as Kadayawan.

Today, the festival highlights the rich and diverse cultures of the City’s 11 ethnolinguistic communities that include the Bagobo Tagabawa, Klata, Ata, Matigsalug, Obo Manuvu, Maguindanaon, Iranun, Sama, Tausug, Kagan and the Maranao.

Davao City Tourism Officer Jennifer Ricardo Romero said they are targeting 250,000 visitors for 2023 gauging the 2019 staging of the festival as a target to be met.

“Our target is really to hit pre-pandemic figure and that is 2019,” Romero said.

“Yes we will be bringing back the events held in 2019, which were not held in 2022 like Habi Kadayawan,” Romero said.

Habi Kadayawan is a fashion accessories design competition inspired by the rich and diverse cultures of the 11 ethno-linguistic groups in Davao City.

They will also be having Kasikas sa Kadayawan, which is a variety show featuring songs, dances and other performances.

The 2022 Kadayawan saw a trimmed-down festival as the city was just recovering from the ravages of the pandemic. The holding buoyed hopes for eventual recovery, particularly in the tourism sector.

The 2023 Kadayawan Festival will have a budget of P65 million, a noticeable increase from the P40 million budget in 2022.

Private-Public Partnership

To strengthen the partnership between the private sector which traditionally has been one of the city government’s partners in holding the event, City Mayor Sebastian Duterte signed Executive Order 12 series of 2023.

The EO will create an executive committee for Kadayawan Festival, Pasko Fiesta, Araw ng Dabaw, and other significant events in the city.

Part of the Execom will be the heads of the Davao Tourism Association (DATA), the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc (DCCCII)., and the Davao MICE board (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions Exhibitions Board). They will act as the private sector representatives.

Davao Tourism Association, one of the oldest and largest group of private tourism establishments in Mindanao, will spearhead the private sector group in the Execom.

DATA will be represented by its current president Nicole Hao Bian Ledesma. The DCCII has president John Carlo Tria, represented by Cherry Al-ag, the chamber vice president for tourism, while MICE Board co-chair Gene Bangayan completes the private sector troika in the Execom.

Bangayan said that private sector investments in tourism such as hotels will complement the festivities which is expecting hundreds of thousands of visitors aside from homestay arrangements.

“If we will have many visitors which is what we hope to expect and if hindi kaya ng mga hotel but based on past experiences meron po tayong (we will have) homestays; we have several who are willing to open their homes to accommodate visitors; we are hoping that will be the case. Then, we also have hotels and resorts in nearby Samal,” Bangayan said.

The Kadayawan Village will be spruced up also for the time of the festival. Built in 2017, the Kadayawan Village presents the 11 traditional houses of the City’s 11 ethnolinguistic groups.

“More or less we released P150,000 for each house for the enhancement. We will also be giving them subsidy during the week of Kadayawan,” Romero said.

The enhancement will be completed a week before the Kadayawan opening on August 10. 

For those wanting to witness this year’s Kadayawan here are several of the main activities of the festival

Major must-watch activities in the Kadayawan include:

Pag-Abli sa Kadayawan- This is the opening ceremony of the festival and is a showcase of what people will expect during the festive week. It will be held on August 10 at the Magsaysay Park where the Kadayawan Village is situated.

Dula Kadayawan- This is an annual olympics of indigenous games participated by the 11 ethnic communities and is held at the People's Park.

Habi Kadayawan- Returning this 2023 after a four-year absence. It will be a Mindanao-wide competition of indigenous-inspired apparel and fashion accessories which will feature up-and-coming designers alongside indigenous artisans. The finals will be held on August 12 at Abreeza Mall.

Hiyas ng Kadayawan - An annual search for that distinctive indigenous young lady who is knowledgeable of her native culture and wisdom through a pageantry of Mindanaoan myths and legends. The finals and coronation night will be on August 17.

Indak-Indak sa Kadalanan - A street dancing competition with entries making their way along the city’s main thoroughfares. For one day the streets are closed to vehicular traffic as the dancers take on to the streets until they reach the showdown area at San Pedro Square in front of the City Hall. This year’s Indak-Indak will take place on August 19.

Pamulak sa Kadalanan - The floral float parade is where floats adorned with flowers, fruits and indigenous accessories takes center stage using the same route as Indak-Indak. It will be held on August 20.

Bantawan Cultural Celebration - Held on August 14-16 at the Dinehey Ampitheater inside Magsaysay Park will feature songs and dances of the 11 ethnolinguistic groups.

All official events and activities of the Kadayawan Festival are open to the public and admission is free. (RGA/PIA Davao)