General Santos City is renowned for its deep marine products and stunning beaches. Because of its booming tuna industry, the city is also known as the Philippines' Tuna Capital. In honor of this, the city holds its yearly "Tuna Festival" during the first week of September to coincide with the anniversary of its charter day.
This festival offers residents and visitors alike a chance to take in the rich cultural heritage of General Santos City in addition to honoring the tuna business in the area.
Festival’s history
There is a rich and lengthy history behind the Tuna Festival. The celebration was formerly held to commemorate the region's abundant tuna supply.
Today,the festival celebrates the local fishermen and the fishing industry as Gensan is well-known for having abundant fishing waterways. The festival has become increasingly popular, drawing thousands of tourists annually.
Since its inaugural celebration in 2000, the Tuna Festival has become a vibrant fest for everyone. Every year, the festival expands in breadth and magnitude, offering various attractions, events, and activities.
What to expect
A wide range of events and activities, including parades, cultural shows, and competitions like tuna cookery and tuna catching, take place throughout the festival.
Stalls and food merchants fill the streets with mouthwatering varieties of tuna-based foods. It usually features dishes like grilled tuna belly, tuna kinilaw (ceviche), and sinuglaw, which is a combination of grilled pork and kinilaw, among others.
The Tuna Festival is a visual and cultural extravaganza in addition to a culinary delight. The streets are alive with rhythm and excitement from street dancing competitions that include costumes inspired by the hues of local tuna.
Meanwhile, businesses, fishermen, and industry stakeholders have a chance to demonstrate their innovations and goods through dialogue and displays. This festival feature promotes cooperation and highlights developments in the tuna industry.
Through its culinary delights, the festival encapsulates the spirit of General Santos—a city that thrives on its maritime heritage while embracing the vibrancy of the province's identity.
The Tuna Festival's diverse cuisines and cultural liveliness exemplifies the GenSan's long-standing title as the Tuna Capital of the Philippines.
