Rally is researching the season
Christmas with kids in Pagadian
Pagadian is a hillside city on Illana Bay where the tricycles tilt up to 40 degrees. At Christmas the center of town glows around City Hall and a color-changing fountain, and in 2025 the city lit an 88-foot tree.
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The story of Christmas in Pagadian
City Hall lights and a Plaza Luz fountain in the 2012 photos
Pagadian's best-documented Christmas tradition is the city's lights and its fountain. A photo series of the city shows City Hall glowing at night, a dancing fountain that changes colors, a large tree hung with gifts and candies, and a nativity scene with parols built from recycled materials. The photos look like they were taken around 2012. The musical fountain sits at Plaza Luz, across from City Hall, and is usually switched on at 6:00 pm. Pagadian is the capital of Zamboanga del Sur, and its patron saint is the Santo Niño.
A first drone show and a Friday night tree in 2025
On a Friday night in early December 2025, the city government lit an 88-foot Christmas tree and opened the month-long Paskuhan Festival. The night also had a pyromusical show with fireworks at several venues, the opening of the dancing fountain and the city's first drone show. A Food Streat fair opened on Pajares Avenue on December 1 with 68 local small businesses. Councilor Lance Co said Christmas was upgraded from a plain celebration to a festival.
A tricycle tilted at 40 degrees
Pagadian is nicknamed Little Hongkong of the South and Home of the 40 Degree Tricycle. The tilted tricycle is built for the hilly streets, at roughly 25 to 40 degrees, and it exists nowhere else in the Philippines. The city was founded on March 23, 1937 and chartered on June 21, 1969. After Christmas, the Pasalamat Festival honoring Santo Niño runs January 9 to 18 in 2026, with street dancing and a fluvial parade.
Traditions today
- Paskuhan Festival: A month-long festival the city government opened in December 2025 with an 88-foot tree lighting, fireworks and a drone show.
- Dancing fountain at Plaza Luz: A musical fountain across from City Hall, usually switched on at 6:00 pm, with colors that change after dark.
- Food Streat on Pajares Avenue: A food fair that opened December 1, 2025 with 68 Pagadian micro and small businesses.
- Parols and nativity scenes: A photo series shows lanterns and a near life-size nativity scene made from recycled materials.
- New Year's countdown: Festival activities carried into the countdown and on to the Pasalamat Festival in January.
- Pasalamat Festival: A ten-day Santo Niño celebration, January 9 to 18 in 2026, with novenas, processions and street dancing.
A fact for kids
Pagadian has a tricycle whose seat tilts up to 40 degrees so it can climb the city's steep streets, and no other place in the Philippines has one.
Questions about Christmas in Pagadian
Why do people call Pagadian the Little Hongkong of the South?
Little Hongkong of the South is one of the city's nicknames, alongside Home of the 40 Degree Tricycle. The Chinese community is part of the local story too, and Pagadian officially celebrates Chinese New Year to honor it. The nickname came up again in a December 2025 news report on the city's Christmas tree lighting.
How big was the Christmas tree in Pagadian in 2025?
The city lit an 88-foot Christmas tree on a Friday night, reported on December 6, 2025. The lighting opened the Paskuhan Festival, which lasts a full month. The city government organized it as part of an upgrade from a plain celebration to a festival.
What is the Paskuhan Festival in Pagadian?
Paskuhan is the month-long Christmas festival the city government launched with the 88-foot tree lighting in December 2025. Councilor Lance Co said the city upgraded Christmas from a plain celebration to a festival. It also ran into the New Year's countdown, which leads into the Pasalamat Festival in January.
Did Pagadian have a drone show for Christmas in 2025?
Yes. The December 2025 tree lighting included the city's first drone show, alongside a pyromusical display with synchronized fireworks at several venues and the opening of the dancing fountain. All of it was part of the launch night of the Paskuhan Festival.
Where is the dancing fountain in Pagadian?
The musical dancing fountain is at Plaza Luz, across from City Hall, and it is usually switched on at 6:00 pm. A photo series of Pagadian at Christmas shows City Hall glowing at night with the color-changing fountain beside it, so the plaza is a natural evening stop for families.
Where can kids see parols made from recycled materials in Pagadian?
A photo series of Christmas in Pagadian shows two parols (lanterns) and a nearly life-size nativity scene with three wise men, all built from recycled materials, near the lit City Hall. The photos appear to date from 2012, so treat it as a past display and check what the city sets up this year.
What is the Food Streat fair in Pagadian?
It is a food fair on Pajares Avenue that opened on December 1, 2025, with 68 Pagadian-based micro and small businesses. Stall owners and workers had to attend food safety and handling seminars first. It ran alongside the Paskuhan Festival, so families could eat before or after the lights.
When does Pagadian's Christmas tree lighting happen in 2026?
No 2026 date has been confirmed yet. In 2025 the tree lighting was on a Friday night in early December, and it was reported on December 6. Check Rally Takes the Train's Pagadian Christmas events guide for updates, because the city usually announces its schedule close to the date.
What can kids do at Christmas in Pagadian besides the 88-foot tree?
In 2025 the Paskuhan Festival also had fireworks, a first drone show, the dancing fountain at Plaza Luz and the Food Streat fair on Pajares Avenue. Rally Takes the Train's Pagadian Christmas events guide will list 2026 events once the dates are confirmed by the hosts.
Where do families go on Christmas night in Pagadian?
The lit City Hall and Plaza Luz with its dancing fountain are the best-documented spots, and a photo series from around 2012 shows them glowing at night. No 2026 Christmas Day program is confirmed, so check the city's announcements before you go.
Is there a Christmas tree with gifts and candies in Pagadian?
The 2012 photo series shows a large tree hung with gifts and candies, with residents walking past it near City Hall. That is a past display. The most recent tree is the 88-foot one lit in December 2025 for the opening of the Paskuhan Festival.
When is the Pasalamat Festival in Pagadian in 2026?
The 2026 Pasalamat Festival runs January 9 to 18, with the Santo Niño feast day and a ten-day program of novena prayers, masses, processions and street dancing. The city fiesta falls on the third Sunday of January.
Who is the patron saint of Pagadian?
The patron saint is the Santo Niño de Pagadian, and the city's Pasalamat Festival honors Señor Sto. Niño every January. The city is also the seat of the Diocese of Pagadian, established in 1971, with the Cathedral of the Most Holy Name of Jesus as its main church.
What is the 40 Degree Tricycle in Pagadian?
It is a tricycle built with an inclined seat for the city's steep streets, at roughly a 25 to 40 degree angle. Pagadian is the only place in the Philippines with such a vehicle, and newer models called bao-bao are slowly replacing them. The tilted seat suits the hilly streets.
How old is the city of Pagadian?
Pagadian was founded on March 23, 1937, by Executive Order No. 77 and became a chartered city on June 21, 1969. Araw ng Pagadian is held every June 21. In 2026 the city marked its 57th charter anniversary with a simplified program because of an austerity drive.
How many people live in Pagadian?
The 2024 census counted 206,483 people in 45,633 households in Pagadian, the capital of Zamboanga del Sur and the regional center of the Zamboanga Peninsula. Its Christmas crowds gather mostly around City Hall and Plaza Luz, which sit close together in the center of town.
Is Pagadian near the sea, and can kids see it at Christmas?
Yes. Pagadian sits on a sheltered bay with good fishing grounds, and the Pagadian Rotunda overlooks Illana Bay. The Dao Dao Islands and the white sandbar Puting Balas are also nearby. These are year-round sights rather than Christmas programs, so check weather and boat schedules first.
Did Pagadian cut back its 2026 celebrations?
The city trimmed its June 2026 charter anniversary under an austerity program, canceling the pageant and the Grand Street Party and keeping the awards, an interschool drum and lyre contest and the civic-military parade. That news covers the June anniversary only, not Christmas, so Christmas plans are still to be announced.
What happens after Christmas in Pagadian?
In 2025 the Paskuhan Festival carried on through New Year's countdown activities and led straight into the Pasalamat Festival in January 2026. That is a long stretch of festive nights, so families visiting the city between December and mid-January can plan more than one trip to the center of town.
Where do I find the latest Pagadian Christmas dates for kids?
Use Rally Takes the Train's Pagadian Christmas events guide, which only lists events once the host or the city confirms the 2026 date. At the moment none are confirmed, so the page is marked as coming soon. Your barangay hall and the city government's announcements are the other places to check.
Sources
- Pagadian, Wikipedia
- Mindanao's 'Little Hong Kong' turns on Christmas vibe, Philippine Daily Inquirer
- Christmas at Pagadian City, Rappler
- Pagadian's Pasalamat Festival 2026, VisMin.ph
- Austere Pagadian charter city anniversary set, Manila Bulletin