Is Sinulog getting too hot to handle?
The Sinulog Festival marks a time of celebration, thanks, and blessing as we enter the New Year. This year it also helps to highlight an inevitable problem that we all face here in Cebu that Sinulog could be getting too hot to handle!
Sinulog always the run-of-the-mill problems like supposed stampedes, belligerent drunks, etc. But with the increasing amount of spectators, these problems are reaching a tipping point. We have already tried to implement some preventative measures such as limiting liquor, and banning street parties, both of which were not properly enforced due to the shear number of establishments that were not complying. It seems as though the Sinulog Festivities is on a runaway train to certain peril.
Now it doesn't mean that Sinulog will halt to a standstill, but rather the residents of the city and the Sinulog committee have to take the necessary steps to ensure that the celebrations remain fun, family, friendly, and logistically feasible to attend. One possible solution could be to spread the celebration across a larger part of the city for instance. These are nightmares that need to be analyzed and tackled as early as this year.
We asked John M about his views on the Sinulog parade this year... He simply replied "oh... it was absolutely great; I had the best seats in the house watching the dance celebrations from my HD T.V.". John M remembers the good old days of Sinulog many years ago when the majority of spectators were home grown Cebuano folk. "These days I can't imagine myself going out and getting drunk for Sinulog" John M says. "Nowadays, you get 3 and a half people coming to Cebu from all over the country and the world!"
It's true, an estimated 3.5-4 million visited Cebu just for the Sto Niño festival. A number that increases by 500,000 annually. Future planners need to keep this in mind when deciding what kind of parties and events to hold during the festival.
"Sinulog is becoming more and more international by the year." John M expressed. "It is about time that we also think about bringing in some international artists to Cebu for Sinulog in the future."
John M does seem to have a point and perhaps we should consider what big name artists we would love to see here in Cebu in the near future!