While Filipinos typically associate ghost stories with November’s All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, Vigan City is bringing the spooky season early with its first-ever Ghost Festival this August 2024.
The city introduced a new tradition with the launch of its Ghost Festival, inspired by the Chinese tradition of Hungry Ghost Month, observed every August.
The festival aims to create a unique experience for locals and tourists. It taps into the city’s rich history and the urban legends that have long been part of its cultural fabric.
"We create something for Vigan naman — very unique for the Vigan — because we have many urban legends na naririnig natin. Dahil syempre ang Vigan isang lumang siyudad, so marami rin tayong naipong kwento tungkol sa sinaunang panahon," Jo-Anne Gutierrez, Vigan City’s Senior Tourism Operations Officer, said.
The City Tourism Office has begun collecting urban legends and ghost stories, especially those tied to the old buildings in Vigan.
These stories will be shared with visitors by "tour-cycles," a group of tricycle drivers who double as tour guides during the city’s spooky tours, set to start at dusk.
The excitement surrounding the new festival is already evident among both local and foreign tourists.
Many believe that the Ghost Festival can draw more visitors to Vigan, given the natural fascination people have with ghost stories.
"I really enjoy those ghost stor[ies], and I feel like there’s a part of the [Filipino] culture [that] belongs to this area. And I think, if you can develop something [like] culture or festival — something like that — it shall boost the tourism," Isha Chiu, a tourist, said.
"Maraming Pilipino ang mahilig sa ghost story; mahilig sila sa matatakutin. So, I feel like pag narinig nila yun, especially during halloween, mas gugustuhin nila magpunta dito para mag-explore," Renzo Valenzuela, another tourist, added.
The Spooky Tour is set to begin on August 25, 2024, but visitors can still enjoy the city's traditional heritage tours alongside this new eerie attraction.
