ILOILO City – Tickets for the Dinagyang Festival’s ati-ati tribes competition, scheduled for Sunday morning, Jan. 28, have sold out.
Over 5,000 tickets were issued, with more than half distributed complimentary to sponsors and allocated by the city government for their invited guests.
The remaining tickets were sold through partner hotels, as confirmed by Joyce Clavecillas, the executive director of the Iloilo Festivals Foundation, Inc. (IFFI).
“I’m pleased that all our tickets for the Sunday event are sold out, with none left in any judging areas,” Clavecillas told Panay News.
She noted that the tickets sold out faster this year compared to 2023, when some remained unsold for the ati-ati tribes competition.
“The festival’s return to the streets has significantly increased visitors’ interest in experiencing Dinagyang,” Clavecillas remarked. For those who were unable to purchase tickets for the Ati-Ati Tribes Competition, performances can still be viewed on streets like JM Basa, Delgado, and Mabini, as 20 percent of the judging criteria are based on street dance performances.
However, a limited number of tickets remain available for the “Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan” contest on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 27.
“Tickets can still be obtained from our partner hotels,” Clavecillas said.
The partner hotels for ticket sales include Hotel del Rio and Days Hotel for the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand judging/viewing area, Richmonde Hotel for the Mabini-Delgado viewing stage, and GT Hotel for the Quezon-Ledesma stage.
Ticket prices are as follows:
* for the ati-ati tribes competition on Sunday – P2,500 (platinum) at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand, and P2,000 (gold) and P1,500 (silver) at the Mabini-Delgado and Quezon-Ledesma stages
* for the Kasadyahan Saturday – P1,500 (platinum) at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand, and P1,000 (gold) and P500 (silver) at the Mabini-Delgado and Quezon-Ledesma stages
MORE EXCITING PERFORMANCES
Eric Divinagracia, the artistic and creative director of the 2024 Dinagyang tribes competition, highlighted the return of the school-based competition for ati-ati tribes and the expectation of exciting performances.
The competition will commence with a short program following a mass at San Jose de Placer Church at 8 a.m., with performances scheduled at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand by various tribes.
Here’s the sequence of performances there:
1. Tribu Taga-Baryo of Bo. Obrero National High School (NHS)
2. Tribu Mandu-riyaw of Mandurriao NHS
3 Tribu Paghidaet of La Paz NHS
4. Tribu Pan-ay of Fort San Pedro NHS
5. Tribu Salognon of Jaro NHS
6. Tribu Sigabong of Ramon Avanceña NHS
7. Tribu Ilonganon of Jalandoni Memorial NHS
8. Tribu Silak of Iloilo City NHS
Divinagracia also noted the large number of props and sets expected due to the participation of 200 to 400 props men per tribe.
The reintroduction of street dance performances on main streets is a change from last year, with 20 percent of the judging criteria based on these performances.
The IFFI and city government have allocated a P1.6-million subsidy for each competing ati-ati tribe, plus cash prizes of P1 million for the champion, P500,000 for first place, and P300,000 for second place.
‘SADSAD SA CALLE REAL’
The public is invited to join the Sadsad sa Calle Real on Sunday beginning at 3 p.m., a non-ticketed event allowing everyone to participate in the festivities, starting from the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand to Sunburst Park, JM Basa, Iznart, to the Iloilo provincial capitol, and back to the Freedom Grandstand.
Five tribes will participate in this event, with awards for the darling of the crowd, best in music, and best in costume.
“If you remember a few years ago amo ni ang gintawag nga merrymaking, nagalibot pag-Domingo sang hapon para magsadsad sa downtown area,” Clavecillas told Panay News.
The tribes are Tribu Aninipay, Tribu Ibata sa Paghiliugyon, Tribu Molave, Tribu Panaad, and Tribu Parianon.
IFFI requests the public’s understanding regarding potential heavy traffic due to road closures in the downtown area, urging cooperation with authorities for security measures, especially in the food festival area, and to practice Clean As You Go to maintain cleanliness during the festival.
“Palawigon ta lang ang pasensya ta,” said Clavecillas./PN
