Rally is researching the season
Christmas with kids in Tacloban
In December 2017, Tacloban turned Plaza Rizal into a Christmas Fantasy Park around a 75-foot candy-window tree. In 2022 City Hall went without a tree, and in 2025 the city lit a Tree of Hope made from upcycled materials.
Christmas events for 2026 are coming in late November
We’re checking this season’s Christmas events in Tacloban with every host. Subscribe and we’ll email you the day they go live.
Free. We’ll email you the day they go live, then once a week with new events in Tacloban. Unsubscribe at any time.
The story of Christmas in Tacloban
Tree lights and a candy tree on Plaza Rizal
Tacloban's tree lightings have moved between Plaza Rizal and City Hall. In December 2017, Mayor Cristina Romualdez lit a 75-foot Cathedral Candy Window tree designed by Nick Guarino of Festivali Design and Concept, and Plaza Rizal became a Christmas Fantasy Park. Candy and gingerbread houses sat on the stage roof, the fountain became a lotus-shaped tree, and a bazaar sold local food. The city said it does this every year for families and children.
At Price Mansion, the Christmas Village was started by Tingog Party-list and Speaker Martin Romualdez and became a tradition in Tacloban and nearby towns.
The Tree of Hope and fireworks of December 6, 2025
The 2025 season opened on Saturday, December 6 with the Grand Lighting Ceremony on the City Hall Grounds. Mayor Alfred Romualdez and Vice Mayor Raymund Romualdez lit the Tree of Hope, which local artisans built from upcycled materials. Thousands came, and a 15-minute fireworks show followed. Lara Maigue-Magdangal, Gian Magdangal, the STEFTI Choir, the Annointed Dancers and the J&J Band performed. The Price Mansion Christmas Village also opens each December. One opening mentions a lighting on Wednesday night, December 3, free entry and nightly hours from 6 to 9 p.m., with a tall tree, a belen and a hot-air-balloon installation, but no year is given.
The year City Hall had lights but no tree
In 2022, Tacloban City Hall had no Christmas tree. The City Tourism Office made light displays instead, switched on December 2. Earlier trees had reached up to 70 feet.A Tacloban parish began Simbang Gabi gift-giving, giving toys to children under 12 on December 24, the ninth day. Nearby Palo's Saboren Christmas Fantasy House, open since 1991, reopened in 2016.
Traditions today
- Grand Lighting at City Hall Grounds: The 2025 Grand Lighting on December 6 lit the Tree of Hope and opened a month-long city celebration, with fireworks afterward.
- Price Mansion Christmas Village: An annual village with a tree, a belen and displays, free and open nightly from 6 to 9 p.m. in an opening report.
- Plaza Rizal lights: In 2017 the plaza became a Christmas Fantasy Park with a 75-foot tree, a Santa photo board and a food bazaar.
- Simbang Gabi: A Marasbaras parish holds nine days of Simbang Gabi masses and gives gifts to children under 12 on December 24.
- Pasko ha Palo: The nearby town of Palo lights a plaza Christmas Village each year, with a Christmas Tunnel, a Belen and barbecue stalls.
A fact for kids
In 2017, Tacloban lit a 75-foot candy tree with color-changing neon lights and turned the park fountain into a giant lotus-shaped tree!
Questions about Christmas in Tacloban
What was the Tree of Hope at Tacloban's 2025 Grand Lighting?
On Saturday, December 6, 2025, Mayor Alfred Romualdez and Vice Mayor Raymund Romualdez lit the Tree of Hope on the City Hall Grounds. Local artisans built it from upcycled materials. A 15-minute fireworks display followed, and thousands of residents and visitors attended.
Who performed at the 2025 Tacloban Grand Lighting Ceremony?
The 2025 ceremony featured Lara Maigue-Magdangal, Gian Magdangal, the STEFTI Choir, the Annointed Dancers and the J&J Band. It took place on the City Hall Grounds on December 6, 2025, and opened a month-long Christmas celebration in the city, with fireworks after the tree lighting.
Is the Price Mansion Christmas Village in Tacloban free?
One opening of the Christmas Village at the historic Price Mansion was free of charge and open nightly from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The lighting was on Wednesday night, December 3, and no year is given. Check the host before you go, because hours can change from year to year.
What can kids see at the Price Mansion Christmas Village?
The opening report for the Price Mansion Christmas Village lists a towering Christmas tree, a traditional belen (Nativity scene), a hot-air-balloon-themed installation and other colorful displays across the grounds. It is described as an annual Tacloban tradition. It is not stated how many years it has run.
Who started the Christmas Village at Price Mansion?
A 2022 report says Tingog Party-list and House Speaker Martin Romualdez began the Christmas Village several years earlier, and that it became a Christmas tradition in Tacloban and nearby towns and provinces. In 2022 it opened Monday to Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from 6 to 10 p.m.
Are the 2026 Tacloban Christmas dates announced?
Not yet. The 2025 Grand Lighting was on December 6 and a Price Mansion opening report names Wednesday, December 3 without a year, but no host page or official calendar gives 2026 dates. Rally Takes the Train will add events once a host confirms them.
What was the Christmas Fantasy Park at Plaza Rizal in Tacloban?
In December 2017, the city turned Plaza Rizal into a Christmas Fantasy Park after Mayor Cristina Romualdez lit a 75-foot candy-window tree. Candy and gingerbread houses topped the stage roof, the fountain became a lotus-shaped tree, and there was a Santa photo board and a bazaar of local food.
Who designed Tacloban's 75-foot candy tree?
Nick Guarino of Festivali Design and Concept designed the 75-foot Cathedral Candy Window tree lit at Plaza Rizal in 2017. It has a candy stained-glass pattern and color-changing neon lights, and it was built to withstand heat, wind and rain. The park also had seven lantern posts.
Why did Tacloban City Hall have no Christmas tree in 2022?
On December 2, 2022, City Hall was decorated with lights made by the City Tourism Office instead. Earlier trees had reached up to 70 feet.
What gift-giving tradition did a Tacloban parish begin?
A Tacloban parish started a Simbang Gabi gift-giving tradition to give thanks, with gifts handed out on December 24, the last day.
What is Simbang Gabi gift-giving at Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Parish?
The parish in Marasbaras, Tacloban, holds nine days of Simbang Gabi masses. On December 24, the last day, it gives gifts to less fortunate parishioners. Children under 12 receive toys and learning materials. A 2017 report called it the eighth year of the tradition, begun as a thanksgiving.
How many days is Simbang Gabi in Tacloban?
The Tacloban parish described in a 2017 report holds nine days of Simbang Gabi masses, with gift-giving on December 24, the last day. Mass times vary by parish, so check with your own parish.
What is Pasko ha Palo, and how far is Palo from Tacloban?
Pasko ha Palo (Christmas in Palo) is an annual celebration centered on a Christmas Village at the public plaza in Palo, Leyte. In 2023 Mayor Remedios Petilla led the lighting on December 14. No distance from Tacloban is given, so check a map before you plan the trip.
What is the Saboren Christmas Fantasy House in Palo?
It is a private family collection of Christmas items in Palo, Leyte, that opened in 1991. It reopened in 2016. A 2023 report lists it among the attractions at the Palo Christmas Village, along with a Christmas Tunnel and a Belen.
What else is at the Palo Christmas Village besides lights?
A 2023 report lists the Palo Pag Ibig Plaza, a Christmas Tunnel, the Purisima Bridge, the Saboren Christmas Fantasy House, a Belen, a Barbeque Plaza and a Tourism Information Center. Food stalls sell barbecue and other local dishes, and carolers add Christmas music. The town is in Leyte, near Tacloban.
Besides the Tree of Hope, what can kids do at Christmas in Tacloban?
Good places to start are the Price Mansion Christmas Village, with its tree, belen and hot-air-balloon installation, and the City Hall Grounds lighting season that began December 6, 2025. Nearby Palo also runs a plaza Christmas Village. Confirmed 2026 dates are collected in Rally Takes the Train's Tacloban Christmas events guide.
Which Tacloban Christmas trees can kids see, from the 75-foot candy tree to the Tree of Hope?
In 2017 the city lit a 75-foot candy-window tree at Plaza Rizal, and in 2025 the Tree of Hope stood at the City Hall Grounds. The Price Mansion Christmas Village also has a towering tree. Trees change from year to year, so check the host for 2026.
Which three Tacloban spots suit a Christmas outing with kids?
Past seasons point to three places: the City Hall Grounds for the Grand Lighting, Price Mansion for the free nightly Christmas Village, and Plaza Rizal, which became a Christmas Fantasy Park in 2017. Times for 2026 will be in Rally Takes the Train's Tacloban Christmas events guide once hosts confirm them.
What is open in Tacloban on Christmas Day for young kids?
No Christmas Day programs are described. They do show nightly lights at the Price Mansion Christmas Village and a month-long city celebration that started December 6. Opening days around December 25 can differ, so confirm with the host before you go with little ones.
How do you explain a belen to a young child?
A belen is a Nativity scene, the model of the Christmas story. The Price Mansion Christmas Village in Tacloban has had a traditional one, and the 2023 Palo Christmas Village listed a Belen among its attractions. In 2017 Plaza Rizal had a blue vintage Nativity retablo near its stage.
Sources
- Tacloban City ushers in Christmas season with dazzling Grand Lighting ceremony, Leyte Samar Daily News
- Price Mansion Christmas Village brings holiday magic to Tacloban once again, Leyte Samar Daily News
- LOOK: Tacloban's traditional Christmas Village opens its doors, Manila Bulletin
- Tacloban transforms plaza into Christmas park, PTV News
- Lights up in Tacloban City Hall but no Christmas tree this time, Philippine Daily Inquirer
- In Palo town, a cherished Christmas tradition returns, SunStar Tacloban
- Simbang Gabi gift-giving in Tacloban church, PTV News