ILOILO CITY: Just two weeks after its grand revelry, the Dinagyang Festival of this city added another accolade after being recognized as the "Best Festival" of the Visayas region by the Philippine LEAF Awards.
"We are deeply grateful to the LEAF Awards for recognizing the Iloilo Dinagyang Festival as the Best Festival (Visayas), and we share this triumph with all those who have contributed to its success," said City Mayor Jerry Treñas in a statement.
The Philippine LEAF Awards, now in its second year, is a prestigious award-giving body that recognizes excellence in Theater, Festivals, Dance, Music and Fashion.
Elvert Bañares, artistic director of the Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. (IFFI), received the award in a ceremony held at the historic Manila Metropolitan Theater in Plaza Bonifacio on Thursday, February 8.
"This gleaming trophy symbolizes the hard work, creativity and dedication that went into creating a truly exceptional festival experience. It serves as a testament to the collective efforts of the IFFI, the Dinagyang Team and the entire Ilonggo community," Treñas added.
The Philippine LEAF Awards recognized one outstanding festival from each of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao through the nomination process, which ran from Oct. 8, 2023 to Oct. 31, 2023.
Alongside the Dinagyang Festival as finalists in the Visayas region are Bailes de Luces of La Castellana, Negros Occidental; the Sinulog Festival of Cebu province; and the Kalibo Señor Santo Niño Ati-Atihan Festival of Kalibo, Aklan.
The recent win of the Dinagyang Festival adds to its list of accomplishments, including the 2022 edition being recognized by the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines Inc. (ATOP) Pearl Awards as the Best Cultural Festival in the city category.
In 2021, ATOP also awarded the festival's first online version as the Best Tourism Practice during the Pandemic Special Category, while in 2020, it was awarded as the grand champion in the Best Tourism Event (Festival) As Contemporary/Nontraditional Expression category.