By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Preparations are now ready for the 49th Dinagsa Festival of Negros Occidental’s Cadiz City from January 21 to 29.

Mayor Salvador Escalante, Jr. said they are expecting a large number of tourists arriving in the city this year as the festival will be celebrated again after two years of restrictions brought by the pandemic.

Tourist spots were on offer in the city, and they are also expecting the arrival of several music bands and a K-pop group who will be holding concerts during the occasion, Escalante said.

The guests are assured they will be taken care of while visiting the city, he added.

Cadiz City made the decision to hold the festival again after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. encouraged local government units to celebrate their respective festivals during last year’s highly-successful MassKara Festival.

Escalante said they will also adopt some of the events and activities held during the MassKara.

The Dinagsa Festival was first held in 1972 and was coined after a number of whales gathered on the city’s shores in 1967.

The festival is a week-long celebration with the rhythmic beating of drums in honor of Señor Santo Niño de Cadiz, the city’s patron saint./DGB, WDJ