Katubhan Festival 2024: Events and Crowded Nights

Hi everyone! It’s me, @reshychannn, and I am back, dropping a new blog.This blog is all about the Katubhan Festival in my hometown—Medellin, Cebu. Feel free to read and dive into this blog. Thank you so much! ✨

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In my previous blog, I mentioned the upcoming "Katubhan Festival" in my hometown. However, in that blog, it was only the start of a fun and enjoyable festival celebration. Now, let’s all experience the amazing Katubhan Festival by dwelling on this blog.

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On April 26–27, 2024, the Katubhan Festival finally reached its peak date of celebration. People were gathering at the center of the town of Medellin to celebrate the wonderful festival. Here’s how my Katubhan Festival experience went...

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My boyfriend and I planned to go and witness the Katubhan Festival on April 26–27, 2024. On the first night, April 26, we went to town at 7:00 p.m. since this night will be the pageant night for the search for Miss Medellin 2024. When we arrived, we ate our dinner first at K-Food Gimbap, located in front of Medellin People’s Park.

After eating, we then went to the church, lighted some candles, and offered our prayers to Señor Santo Niño. After that, we took a stroll around the town to look for something that we might want to buy since there were a lot of stores around the area, such as thrift stores, food corners, souvenirs, jewelry, and many more.

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The area was so crowded. I can see a lot of people enjoying the night with themselves, with their families, and with their friends. Some are drinking alcoholic drinks, some are eating snacks, and some are just laughing while talking with their company. It was such a nice view to see.

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After strolling for a little bit, we went inside the Medellin Sport Complex to watch the pageant. The complex was already full of people when we got there. It was really hot and crowded. The pageant started, and the contestants were all looking beautiful and confident on the stage. I really admire these ladies because it’s not easy to show off to a large crowd. I could feel and imagine their nervousness on stage. We stayed inside for a while, even though my energy was constantly draining due to the noise and large crowd. But I still enjoyed watching the pageant.

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It was already past 10:00 p.m., but the pageant is still not done yet. It was getting late, and I felt the urge to go home, so I told my boyfriend that we should now go outside. I also need some fresh air.
We went outside, and I saw my older sister. I called her, and she immediately approached us. We decided to grab some snacks before going home.

After having our snacks, we walked to the parking area to get our motorcycle so we could all go home. It was very tiring. My feet were really hurting at that time. We were not able to finish the pageant, but they announced the winners on their Facebook page. Barangay Curva won as Miss Medellin 2024.

This was my first night experience of the Katubhan Festival.

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On the next day, April 27, the events were the Sinulog-like dance competition of the different barangay clusters, and after that, there will be a live band concert of the Chocolate Factory for free. Sadly, I was not able to witness the dance competition and partied with the Chocolate Factory because I cannot handle the large crowd inside the complex.

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Fast forward, and we were again strolling around the area, even though my feet were still hurting from the prior night. We strolled around the area for, like, an hour or so. This time, the place is way more crowded than the prior night. I think the number of people was multiplied by three. It was so hot, even when we were outside. Many people are going back and forth to places, including us. We were just going around in circles.

But this night, I didn’t want to go inside the complex because it’s really suffocating with that large crowd. What we did was go to Medellin Docksides since there was a carnival setup there and also so I could see my little nephew, who is also enjoying his time with my sister. When we arrived, I immediately carried him. I love this little human so much. He is also like my son. (HAHA)

He really wanted to ride the ferris wheel, even though he doesn’t know how it feels to be there. He is still two years old and very innocent. So, I told my sister to let him ride the ferris wheel along with her. I paid for their tickets and watched them enjoy the ride.

When they were done riding the ferris wheel, I looked at my nephew, and he was so pale. But when we asked him if he was afraid, he said he was not. I also asked him if he still wanted to ride it again, and he said “no.”. He was so cute, and we just laughed at him.

After a while, I told my boyfriend that I wanted to go home since it was already 10:00 pm. I guess this specific time of the night is my peak time to go home. I just can’t deal with such a large crowd for over how many hours. We said goodbye to my sister and nephew and went home.

This is how I spent the Katubhan Festival 2024. If only I were not easily drained, I would have also enjoyed the live band concert of the Chocolate Factory and party with the crowd. But I guess it’s just really not for me. Despite being drained, I still enjoyed my night strolling and buying things that I liked. It was still fulfilling.

What about you? What kind of festival do you celebrate in your hometown? Feel free to share yours in the comments.

For anyone who lives near Medellin, Cebu, you might want to experience the Katubhan Festival next year. You will surely enjoy all the different night events for freeeee!!!

Thank you so much for reading this blog. I'll see you in my next blog, soon!

Love,
Reshychannn💜