Vigan City Fiesta Celebrations

      The Vigan City Fiesta is held every January 25. It is celebrated during the feast day of the conversion of St. Paul the Apostle. St. Paul is Vigan City’s patron saint. Before his conversion, St. Paul was known as Saul, a zealous persecutor of Christians. After he was touched by a personal encounter with Jesus Christ on his way to Damascus, his name was changed to Paul and he endured a lot of hardships and danger to spread the word of God to far places.

      The biggest secular festival is the Vigan Town Fiesta, a week-long celebration consisting of carnivals, parades, musical extravaganzas, beauty contests and nightly cultural shows. It culminates on January 25 with the celebration of the conversion of St Paul the Apostle, the town’s patron saint. Almost straight after that comes the Kannawidan Ilocos, a recent addition to the festival calendar at the end of January celebrating the culture of the whole of Ilocos Sur, not just Vigan. It includes a “battle of the bands” and a beauty contest.