FOLLOWING the success of the just-concluded MassKara Festival in Bacolod City, the Dinagsa Festival of Cadiz City is also expected to return in January next year.

This was officially announced by Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. on Monday, October 24.

Escalante said that the decision to hold the festival anew is in answer to the calls made by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. for the country to open up its economy through tourism.

Marcos made the call during his speech at the highlights of the MassKara Festival on Sunday, October 23.

Escalante said they will prepare for a possible two-week long celebration.

The mayor noted that they might use as example some of the events and activities that were held during the MassKara for the public's enjoyment.

Escalante added the initial meeting of the Dinagsa Festival committee would be held next month.

The Dinagsa Festival first began in 1972, and was coined after an event that took place in May 5, 1967 when a number of whales gathered on the city's shores.

The festival is a week-long celebration with the rhythmic beating of drums in honor of Señor Santo Niño de Cadiz, the city's patron saint.

The festival was also formulated by a local parish priest in the past, as a way of bringing the people away from the growing vices of "sabong" or cock fight during the fiesta.

Dinagsa was last held in January of 2020, barely two months before the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic began.*