Tinalak Festival | Koronadal, South Cotabato

Tinalak Festival is one of the most celebrated cultural fiestas in the Philippines. Think of abundant harvests, the coming together of cultures, their love for beauty & party rolled into one — and you’re close to naming it the best.

Inspired with the richness of southern living, Tinalak Festival is a great way to experience the real South Cotabato. The capital city of Koronadal hosts this annually with activities that give revelers massive doses of fun.

Tinalak Festival: Weaving Diversity

If you’re a culture vulture, you’re in luck at T’nalak because this festival gathers its three cultural groups in one space: the various indigenous communities, the Muslim people & the lowlander Christians.

South Cotabato is home to a myriad of cultures. Among them are the indigenous T’boli & B’laan who inhabit the highlands. Then there are the Muslims & the Christians who founded settlements in the wave of people migration.

T’nalak or tinalak, the handwoven fabric of the T’boli represents this multeity of people & culture. And just like this precious textile, each piece of thread symbolizes their uniqueness in multiplicity. It narrates their history, arts & crafts, as well as their aspirations as one people of South Cotabato.

Feast of Living Traditions

As perhaps Tinalak Festival is the grandest event in July, it draws massive visitors from all over the country. And the Tri-People Grand Parade is no doubt the most anticipated event throughout this season.

On this day, the streets of Koronadal burst into unimaginable frenzy! From colorful ethnic patterns to heart-thumping gong beats, the city becomes a psychedelic universe on its own. Participants & spectators down mad amounts of fun then take over the streets in a cultural euphoria.

The parade winds in the public stadium where an uproar of theatrical spectacles await. This time, performance art overdoses thousands of people with pageantries like no other. Dances, music & visual poetries are absolute crackers you wouldn’t want to miss even with the slightest blink.

Feast of Abundance

Indeed, South Cotabato is the darling of SOCCSKSARGEN regional economic cluster for a few good reasons. One, it is blessed with bountiful agricultural lands, mineral & aquatic resources. Next, it has fantastic development plans to make living here truly wonderful.

And nowhere is this prosperity best displayed than at the Bahay Kubo Competition. But it’s no ordinary bahay kubo, folks! It’s a glammed-up booth festooned with fruits, vegetables & what-have-yous.

Feast of Flavours

Of course, no fiesta is ever complete without food. Like most places in the country, South Cotabato is proud of its culinary traditions too. From local gastronomic delights to contemporary flair, Tinalak Festival is sure to bring you to a gustatory spin!

Feast of Finds

How many things can you make of out of South Cotabato’s richness? There’s really no limit when Tinalak Festival is anything to go by. Certainly, traditional arts & crafts dominate the fair because there’s just beautiful excesses of it here.

However, you’ll never run out of other great finds, from trinkets to shoes & from tattoos to paintings.

Feast of Beauty

South Cotabato isn’t only known for folk arts, it is also about beautiful people. As offsprings of cultural mixes, this province has produced beauty queens that send chills in national pageants.

Feast of Expression

While Tinalak Festival rejoices its ethnic diversity & abundance, it also celebrates modernity. From synthpop to hip-hop, its slew of events like concerts are something you’d wake up to the next day without memories of the night before.

Truly, Tinalak Festival has grown to become a remarkable celebration that leads tourists to South Cotabato every July. As it coincides with the founding anniversary of the province, everyone is assured of double treats that are always hard to beat.

See you in 2020!

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