Baguio For All Seasons
Part Three: Holiday Information for Baguio Visitors
The Philippines is a country with a whole lot of holidays.
You are now on Part Three of Baguio For All Seasons, that section that's all about holidays in the Philippines. Below you will find a list of all the legal holidays in the Philippines plus information on special holidays, too.
On top of peak season for tourists Baguio City, which is very accessible via land transportation from most
places in Luzon, the country's largest and most populated island, sees a lot of visitors during holidays.
Philippines Legal Holidays
The Philippines has 10 non-working holidays. In recent years, when a holiday falls on a weekday, it is celebrated as a long weekend, which actually promotes domestic tourism, too.
January 1 - New Year's Day
March or April (movable) - Good Friday
April 9 - Araw ng Kagitingan
May 1 - Labor Day
June 12 - Independence Day
Last Sunday of August - National Heroes Day
November 1 - All Saints Day
November 30 - Bonifacio Day
December 25 - Christmas Day
December 30 - Rizal Day
Philippines Special Holidays
The President of the Philippines may declare any other day as a special working or non-working holiday.
Usually days that are 'sandwiched' between legal holidays, such as December 31 or a day April that falls between Good Friday and Araw ng Kagitingan, will most likely be declared a special holiday.
Then there are local holidays for Baguio City: for example, July 16 is Cordillera Day and September 1 is Baguio's Foundation Day. The effect of this is that while banks and offices in the rest of the country will be open, those located in the City of Pines will be closed.
Are Shops in Baguio Open During Holidays?
Only recently have Baguio restaurants and shops realized the wisdom of keeping their businesses open during Holy Week, when there are a lot of visitors. The Baguio City Market, of course, "lives" for these holidays, but expect prices to be on a "peak season high."
If you're spending Christmas or New Year's here, may I suggest you prepare to cook your own meals as most restaurants close on those days, although some Baguio hotels throw special parties on those days especially for visitors.
Quick Links
Baguio For All Seasons is divided in three parts:
You are now on Part Three of a series of short articles regarding the best times to visit the City of Pines. Check out the others:
Discover festive days in the Summer Capital of the Philippines, and believe me, those months are not limited to the summer vacation months of April and May.
For those visitors who prefer a relaxing vacation away from hordes of tourists and excursionists, here's the lowdown on when the Summer Capital of the Philippines is a little less busy than usual.
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