A MORE community-centered Sinulog is being planned for 2027, with Cebu City Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña calling for a stronger “village feel” that keeps Cebuano culture, safety and inclusivity at the center.
Osmeña wants the festival to preserve the communal atmosphere that draws families, devotees, tourists and Cebuanos to the streets of Cebu while accommodating its growth.
The Sinulog 2027 Executive Committee held its first meeting Sept. 16, 2026, to discuss activities, logistics, marketing, contingents and the festival’s organizational structure. Organizers also reviewed previous celebrations to identify practices to retain and areas to improve.
The festival will keep its theme, “One Beat. One Dance. One Vision,” alongside the City Government’s Cebu City 2035 thrust of becoming “smart, sustainable and inclusive.”
Mayor Nestor Archival will serve as overall chairman, while Osmeña will be overall vice chairman. Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI) president Pericles Dakay will chair the executive committee.
A proposed advisory board will include representatives from the Provincial Government, Catholic Church, police and military. Six working clusters will oversee promotion, contests, presentations and shows, protocol and reception, social welfare and logistics.
The committee is working on the activity schedule, participating contingents, higher subsidies for out-of-town groups, sponsorship packages and the 2027 logo.
The SFI had yet to finalize the festival budget as of Sept. 18, with expenses still being determined amid inflation and higher fuel costs.
Further coordination is planned with the City Government, Provincial Government, Archdiocese of Cebu, Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño, security authorities, contingents, sponsors and other partners. / CAV