Hundred Islands Festival: Alaminos City Guide
The Hundred Islands Festival is Alaminos City’s civic and religious season in Pangasinan. It sits around the feast of St. Joseph on 19 March and the city’s 28 March cityhood date. In 2026 the published programme ran from 28 February to 28 March. That edition has already passed. The next civic calendar is not a ticket you can copy from last year.
As of 12 September 2026, Alaminos has not published a 2027 lineup that this page will treat as booked. 19 March stays the patronal feast. 28 March stays the cityhood anniversary. The street parties, pageants, and expo days move. The Hundred Islands National Park is a separate trip, with its own fees and weather rules.
The festival does not include a boat.
Key facts
| Item | What to use |
|---|---|
| Place | Alaminos City, Pangasinan |
| What it is | A city festival that mixes St. Joseph devotion with civic tourism events |
| Patron feast | St. Joseph, 19 March, at St. Joseph Cathedral |
| Cityhood date | 28 March |
| 2026 programme | 28 February to 28 March, as reported when the city released the lineup |
| 2026 expo | Agri-Trade and Tourism Expo at Plaza Marcelo Ochaue from 18 March |
| 2026 close | Thanksgiving Mass at the Lucap Activity Center, with the run ending 28 March |
| Next edition | Not published here. Confirm with Alaminos City. |
| What it is not | A boat ticket to Hundred Islands National Park, or a one-day event on 19 March only |
What the festival is, and what it is not
Alaminos is the gateway city to Hundred Islands National Park. The festival borrows that name. It is still a city fiesta, not a park show. Novena Masses and the 19 March patronal feast belong to St. Joseph Cathedral, the seat of the Diocese of Alaminos.
The local government stages the secular week: pageants, street parties, trade expos, and themed community days.
Older names in travel notes include Gali-la Hundred Islands Festival and Hundred Islands Paraw Festival. Those are past labels. Use the current city name, Hundred Islands Festival, and ask Turismo or the city information office for this year’s poster.
In one line: The Hundred Islands Festival is Alaminos City’s February-to-March fiesta around St. Joseph and cityhood, not an island-hopping package, and the 2026 run has already closed.
The two March dates people mix up
| Date | What it marks | Visitor note |
|---|---|---|
| 19 March | Feast of St. Joseph, city patron | Cathedral rites. A visitor who comes only this day can miss the expo and the close. |
| 28 March | Alaminos cityhood anniversary | The 2026 civic programme used this as its end date, with a thanksgiving Mass at Lucap. |
| Park visit, any day | Hundred Islands National Park | Separate fees, boats, and weather limits. Not included in the festival. |
A visitor who arrives only for the islands can miss both feast and cityhood. A visitor who arrives only on 19 March can miss the plaza expo. Plan the church, the plaza, and Lucap as three different places.
What 2026 included
A 12 February 2026 RMN Dagupan report of the city lineup described a month of pageant nights, street parties, a Talaba Ihaw-Ihaw, an acrobat show, a dance showdown, and an agri-trade and tourism expo at Plaza Marcelo Ochaue from 18 March.
The same report listed themed days for seniors, LGBTQIA+ people, and persons with disabilities, plus Educators’ Night, Pasasalamat Night, and The Voice of Pangasinan Season 4 finale. It closed with a thanksgiving Mass at the Lucap Activity Center.
Hours and road closures were not in that report.
Manila Times later reported that the usual grilled-oyster street party gave way to Alaminos longganisa in 2026 after red-tide toxins were found in oyster samples from nearby Anda and Bolinao.
City hosts set up grilling stations for the local sausage and other seafood such as hito. That was a 2026 food shift, not a permanent menu change. Ask the city whether the next street party returns to talaba or keeps longganisa.
Planning table: if you go next time
| Topic | Visitor practice |
|---|---|
| Calendar | Wait for the Alaminos release. A February-to-March span is a season, not a reservation. |
| Church vs plaza vs Lucap | Check which day you want. They are different sites. |
| Islands | Book park boats and weather windows separately from festival nights. |
| Sun and rain | March sun on the Lingayen Gulf is harsh. Bring water and a hat. Storms can still cancel boats. |
| Procession space | Do not treat a street party as permission to block Mass or a procession. |
| Food night | Confirm whether the city is staging talaba, longganisa, or another grill that year. |
Pangasinan neighbours: Dagupan’s Bangus Festival is a different city programme. For month planning, use the complete festivals guide and the February festivals hub if your trip starts in late February. Fiesta manners: what are fiestas.
How to get to Alaminos and where to stay
The Hundred Islands Festival is Alaminos City, Pangasinan. Visitors usually take north Luzon land routes from Metro Manila or connect through published regional buses, then base in Alaminos for St. Joseph feast days and cityhood programming. Island-hopping tourism is a separate boat day from the civic festival grid. Confirm both with the city and park operators.
| Base idea | Better if you want | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaminos city / cathedral corridor | Patron feast and civic events on land | March crowds; confirm 19 March and 28 March cluster hours |
| Near Lucap / wharf approaches | Easier morning boats when you add a park day | Festival land events may still need a city hop |
| Dagupan or other Pangasinan overnight | Overflow rooms | Longer daily transfer into Alaminos |
Related Pangasinan reading: Bangus Festival. National map: complete festivals guide. Confirm the live agri-trade, expo, and feast hours with Alaminos before you travel.
Confirm it here
- City Government of Alaminos: https://www.alaminoscity.gov.ph/
- 2026 lineup report, RMN: https://rmn.ph/mga-aktibidad-sa-hundred-islands-festival-2026-inilabas-na/
- 2026 longganisa street-party shift, Manila Times: https://www.manilatimes.net/2026/03/08/regions/alaminos-longganisa-takes-center-stage/2295326
- Calendar hub: https://festivepinoy.com/festivals-in-the-philippines-complete-guide/
Quick summary
The Hundred Islands Festival is Alaminos City’s annual celebration in Pangasinan. It combines the 19 March feast of St. Joseph with civic events that, in 2026, ran from 28 February to 28 March and ended on the 28 March cityhood date. The 2026 edition has passed.
The next civic dates are not published on this page. The Hundred Islands National Park is a separate trip and is not included in the festival. Confirm the next lineup with the City Government of Alaminos. Reviewed 12 September 2026.
FAQ
When is the Hundred Islands Festival?
In Alaminos City. The 2026 programme ran from 28 February to 28 March and has passed. The next dates are not published here. 19 March remains the feast of St. Joseph.
Where is it held?
In Alaminos City, Pangasinan. In 2026 the expo was at Plaza Marcelo Ochaue and the closing Mass was at the Lucap Activity Center. Confirm the next grounds with the city.
Is it only on 19 March?
No. 19 March is the feast of St. Joseph. The 2026 civic programme was about a month long and ended on 28 March.
Does the festival include the island tour?
No. The national park is a separate trip, with its own fees and weather limits.
Can I book March 2027 from the 2026 dates?
Not as a ticket. The feast day is stable. The civic run is annual. Confirm with Alaminos.
Last reviewed against the February 2026 RMN lineup report, Manila Times coverage of the 2026 street party, and the fixed St. Joseph and cityhood dates as of 12 September 2026. Always confirm with the City Government of Alaminos.
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