Celebrating Pahiyas Festival in Lucban

Pahiyas Festival, May 2016 Pahiyas Festival 2017 Schedule
A 4-hour bus ride from the metro, Lucban, Quezon is home for the famous Pahiyas Festival being celebrated every May of the year. Not only for the festival where you can find houses blooming of flowers and plants but Lucban, Quezon is also known for Pancit Lucban in which it has originated and derived its name.
I was invited by a friend to go with him together with another friend last May and without any hesitation I said yes because I also want to experience the festival. We actually did a day tour at Lucban and went home really exhausted due to long walking. Lucban is just a small town and can be toured in half day. During the festival, jeepneys and other large vehicles are prohibited from entering town so people and tourists do not really have a choice but to walk. So better wear shoes when you go there.
I will try to remember every detail of the trip to share our festive experiences with you which I think may be helpful if you are planning to celebrate Pahiyas Festival on May 2017.
So here we go.
1:00 am – Meet-up at Cubao (went to a bus station in Kamuning)
1.30am – Bus departed (I forgot the bus name. I am not sure if it was Jam)
5:45 am – Arrived at Quezon along national road
6:45 am – Arrived at Lucban via jeepney from the national road and walked for 10mins toward town proper
7:00 am – Started our morning walking tour, visiting colorful houses
7:45 am – Breakfast at Cafe San Luis
8:45 am – Attended Mass (we tried but it was too crowded), toured the town and visited shops instead
9:00 am – Coffee time at Ryu Cafe
1:00 pm – Kamay Ni Hesus
We were welcomed by this. Such a nice view.

We walked from here toward the town proper for about 10mins.
The houses in town bloomed that day. They put colorful flower ornaments in their houses, both real and paper flowers. There were also vegetables hanging.
You might want to dine here. I have read a lot of good reviews about Mustiola’s. Like us, we lined up but there were a lot of people that day so we ate at the nearby cafe.
We had breakfast at Cafe San Luis at the very center of the town. A bunch of diners waited outside including us. We also saw “Badjao Girl” strolling town before she became an internet sensation and seen on TV after that week. Cool.
- Cafe San Luis
- Longganisa with fried egg for breakfast
After breakfast, we went to church to attend the mass but it was full and too crowded so we decided to tour and visit shops in the town instead.

San Isidro Church
After we visited shops and bought some souvenirs, we dropped at Ryu toCafe not just for the coffee but also to use the bathroom and to relax our tired feet. The cafe is small but cozy. I think the only cafe of its kind in town. A must try for all coffee lovers out there.
The cafe opens at 9 am (we waited for the cafe to open, we came there early but customers were lining up already). We stayed for about an hour.
On our way out of town, we stopped by a stall and ate the famous Pancit Lucban or locally called Habhab. We also met Kuya Habhab (a cute guy selling Habhab). Lol.
Before ending our day tour, we decided to go to Kamay Ni Hesus as we went out of town. We climbed thousand steps to reach the top of the hill. No kidding. If you will do this, please do not forget to bring extra clothes because you will sweat like a pig. And that’s for sure.?

Kamay Ni Hesus
- People write their prayers in a piece of paper here.
End of our day tour.
We left Lucban around 4 pm and reached the national road at 5.30pm because of traffic. We arrived in Manila at 10:00pm.
Total Expenses: P600
Transportation – Bus-P280 two-way, Jeepney -P50 two way
Food – P120 breakfast, P100 coffee, Habhab merienda P50
Pasalubong – P200 (optional)
Candles at Kamay Ni Hesus – P50 (optional)
Check 2017 Schedule http://www.pahiyasfestival.com/2017/2017/04/09/schedule-of-events-2017/
March 24, 2017 @ 10:00 pm
This looks like such a fun time. The colors of this festival and the town are gorgeous. I love how bright it is! I have not been to the Philippines yet – my husband has several times and my dad lived there for awhile. I’d definitely like to see Lucban, Quezon while I’m there!
March 27, 2017 @ 11:15 am
Wow really? Philippines has a lot to offer.
March 25, 2017 @ 12:59 am
I have honestly never heard of this place! I had to search where it is located.
Awesome job breaking down the itinerary of your trip. Sounds like a wonderful place to visit! Thank you!
March 27, 2017 @ 11:03 am
Go visit Lucban this May! 🙂
March 25, 2017 @ 10:33 pm
This festival looks like so much fun! Lots of colors and brightness that makes for a beautiful celebration. I had no idea about this festival – will have to ask my parents if they know about it!
March 26, 2017 @ 10:43 am
What a fun way to spend a day! My husband and I are huge fans of festivals. I especially loved seeing all of the pretty flower ornaments as well as the hanging veggies.
May 12, 2017 @ 5:50 pm
Festivals are always so much fun! I love the bright colors and the food looks really good. Comfortable shoes are a must when spending the entire day walking, especially when climbing all those stairs. So glad you had a great time!
May 12, 2017 @ 7:07 pm
Wow what a cool festival! Looks like an amazing time!
May 12, 2017 @ 7:55 pm
Attending festivals are always fun. Every city, town, village does something different and always entertaining. Colors are always fun.
May 12, 2017 @ 8:47 pm
What am amazing festival. I have never heard of this before, but I’d so go! I am amazed by all the colors. I know I’d have a blast.
May 12, 2017 @ 10:26 pm
After looking at the photos and reading the post, I have decided that the festival would be worth a four hour bus ride for me! For sure. What’s better than a good festival with gorgeous flowers?
May 12, 2017 @ 10:40 pm
Wow, this looks like a unique and very colorful festivals. I love the good vibes of the colorful designs.
May 13, 2017 @ 1:33 am
Wow what an amazing sounding festival the town looks beautiful and how absolutely colour is the whole place.
May 13, 2017 @ 4:28 am
This looks like so much fun. What a fabulous place to visit. I would love to see it for myself someday.
May 13, 2017 @ 5:09 am
I miss festivals there in the Philippines, it’s fun and colorful. And oh the food is flooding in every corner lol.
May 13, 2017 @ 2:30 pm
True to that!
May 13, 2017 @ 9:57 am
You can’t beat a good festival. I love all the food and fun that goes along with them. We have a few here in our town and I love to check them out.
May 13, 2017 @ 10:16 am
This looks like so much fun! I haven’t been to a festival in ages but since my daughter is a little older now I think we will start trying to get to a few!
May 13, 2017 @ 9:56 pm
This is such a great event! Thanks for giving tips and guides about how to get to this place.
May 14, 2017 @ 12:28 am
It does look like it was such an amazing trip. If I make it out to the Philippines I will definitely have to check it out.
May 14, 2017 @ 4:46 am
The Pahiyas Festival in Lucban sounds like an amazing time. It is awesome that they close the streets from big vehicles and they decorate houses the with real flowers along with the paper ones. This does sound like a fantastic experience.and I would love to enjoy it some day. Thanks for sharing your awesome experience.
May 15, 2017 @ 12:15 am
I love how the houses were decorated! So colorful and festive! What a great way to honor and thank God for a good harvest!
May 16, 2017 @ 1:23 am
I love a great festival! This looked so fun thanks for the amazing recap!
May 16, 2017 @ 2:00 pm
Were the meals as fantastically delicious as they look in pictures? I adore food around the world. I’ve always wanted to visit and I hope it was as fun as it looks. L-O-V-E the colors!!
May 16, 2017 @ 11:04 pm
This looks like a great fun time!! I enjoyed your pictures!!