THOUSANDS of devotees filled Osmeña Boulevard in Cebu City before dawn Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, as an estimated 240,000 people joined the annual Penitential Walk with Jesus, opening the 461st Fiesta Señor.
The procession began at Fuente Osmeña Circle and ended at the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño, where church officials presided over the opening salvo mass and the first of the novena masses leading to the feast day on Jan. 18.
The Cebu City Police Office said the crowd estimate was based on data from the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and covered only those who joined the foot procession, excluding devotees already inside the basilica. Police said participation was higher than last year, when about 160,000 people joined the same procession, based on a Jan. 9, 2025 SunStar Cebu report.
Authorities enforced traffic rerouting and tightened security along major roads as the crowd swelled. The Fiesta Señor, which honors the Sto. Niño de Cebu, traces its roots to 1565 when the image of the Child Jesus was discovered and now draws millions of pilgrims each year, making it one of the country’s largest religious and cultural events. / CDF, JCDV