Sinulog sa Riverina 2026: A Philippine Barrio Fiesta is set to return to Holy Trinity Primary School on 31 January, with more than 1000 people expected to attend. Photo: Supplied.
Wagga has a growing Filipino population, with a leader in the community believing it has tripled since pre-COVID.
With that growth, the desire from the Filipino community to share their culture and beliefs has grown as well, which is why they are inviting Wagga residents to take part in the Sinulog Festival at Holy Trinity Primary School on 31 January.
Sinulog is an annual cultural and religious festival held in The Philippines, on the third Sunday of January.
This year’s Sinulog sa Riverina 2026: A Philippine Barrio Fiesta will be held a week later to cater for families going back to school and work but will still showcase the food, dance and art of The Philippines.
It’s projected to double in size from 2025 and organiser Jeremiah Ibarreta said he is looking forward to the people of Wagga experiencing a taste of the Philippines.
“There will be cultural performances, definitely food trucks and stalls, community dancing and invited guests coming from Sydney,” Mr Ibarreta said.
“While it is actually the Philippine Cultural Festival, we’re actually incorporating other cultures as well, because this is funded by the Multicultural New South Wales and the Multicultural Council of Wagga Wagga.
“This is also the first year that we’re going to do a street dance competition. So we have participants as far as Young and Albury coming to take part in that, which will be very exciting.”
Mr Ibarreta said Wagga had continued to support its Filipino community, and its enthusiasm for this year’s Sinulog Festival had been welcoming.
“We had about 1000 people attend last year’s festival, and we’re expecting an even bigger event this year,” he said.
“We’ve been so surprised by the support and the sponsors that we’ve been able to get this year.
“We obviously learnt a bit from last year and with the support of [Wagga Wagga City] Councillor Karrisa Subedi, we’ve been able to work with the Multicultural Council of Wagga Wagga too.”
Mr Ibarreta said he was excited for the community to come and experience the festival and Filipino culture.
“We encourage people to try some food, try some dancing and just enjoy being at the event,” he said.
“We’re really looking forward to sharing Filipino culture and bringing a piece of The Philippines to Wagga Wagga.”
The Sinulog sa Riverina 2026: A Philippine Barrio Fiesta will be held at Holy Trinity Public School from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday 31 January.
