Fiestang Kuliat, October Fest, Tigtigan Terakan Keng Dalan - Angeles City

In a nutshell, the celebration of Fiestang Kuliat embodies the emergence of Angeles City as one of the progressive urban centers in Region III after the “double whammy” that hit the City in 1991 — the Mt. Pinatubo eruption and the withdrawal of the US Military base in Clarkfield.
The Angeleños resiliency and steadfast resolve to recover from these trials brought us to where we are now. The aftermath of these natural and man-made disasters brought anew the inherent Kapampangan trait of determination to survive. Amidst widespread uncertainty, the local government responded to the needs of its people in crisis; various institutions and civic organizations came and gave assistance. Affected businesses started to gain new ground, and Angeleños from all walks of life temporarily set aside differences and worked together to regain normalcy in their lives.

Angeleños felt a need to jubilate from these significant experience and historical milestone. Hence, a year after Pinatubo came the realization of a bright idea — the celebration of Fiestang Kuliat, which aptly represents the triumph of Angeleños inspite of these crises. Since its birth in 1992, the Fiestang Kuliat has been an integral part of Angeles City's rich culture and heritage. The significant event also gives an opportunity to fellow cabalens from nearby towns and local tourists from manila to experience the revelry and the enticing charm of the city.

To most, this is Pampanga’s equivalent of the popular Oktoberfest, but for the people of Angeles City, the celebration of Tigtigan Terakan Keng Dalan in Barangay Balibago is more than just that.  While this serves as the culminating activity of the month-long city fiesta (Fiestang Kuliat) as it is celebrated on the last weekend of October, it is conceptualized to celebrate the victory of the Kapampangan spirit, especially following the aftermath of the Mount Pinatubo eruption two decades ago.  Now, this event is characterized by festive mood among the revelers through the biggest street party of Central Luzon done on a more than a kilometer stretch of McArthur Highway leading towards the Clarkfield gate, as well as live band performances, beauty pageants, and overflowing sumptuous Kapampangan food.

Even though the Tigtigan Terakan Queng Dalan Festival is a well-known celebration in Pampanga Philippines, it is not insensitive to tragedies that happen in the archipelago. Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 again tested the faith of Philippinos, but the festival was still held to celebrate the belief that life is still worth fighting for even after a terrible tragedy.  And the Tigtigan festival shows that, like the Angelenos, turning this tragedy into triumph is possible.  The festival also allows them to share their faith in God and the faith in the capacity of humans to keep moving forward.

The 2013 Tigtigan festival was held December 6-7 due to the October elections and the usual October festival date occurring at the same time.  The city knew that the election and the subsequent liquor bans due to the election would unfairly affect the event.