Due to quarantine measures in place, some of these destinations might be temporarily closed or unavailable this year. Please coordinate with the management or local government before visiting.
The holidays won’t be complete without seeing Christmas decors lighting up!
For most Filipinos, Christmas is the most awaited season and the perfect time to make wonderful memories with their loved ones. In Bacolod and the entire Negros Island, the holiday merriment and yuletide carols are now spreading—and so are the Christmas attractions! In fact, there are plenty of stunning Christmas villages in Negros that you can visit.
If you want to know where to find these awe-inducing Christmas villages in Negros, keep reading! Just make sure to ready your coats, because one blows snow bubbles in the sky.
Check out this video:
1. Jerry Sy’s Christmas Village
Location: 18th Street, corner San Agustin Dr, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
Jerry Sy hired a Manila-based designer for his Christmas Village which costs around PhP3 million.
Image: Maricel Quingco Rivera
Feast your eyes on neon lights, snow bubbles, and Disney characters in Jerry Sy’s Christmas Village. Designed by a Manila-based artist, the village has a festive atmosphere that features frolicking toy soldiers and angels, a giant Christmas tree, a clock tower, and more. With Christmas songs playing aloud and snow foam bubbles filling up the sky, you’ll definitely get all the winter feels in this attraction.
The Disney-inspired village also displays childhood cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy. There is also a cutout of Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus under the mini neon Ferris wheel where people can take photos. With all these visual treats around you, don’t forget to look up and catch Santa and his reindeer floating across the street!
How to go to Jerry Sy’s Christmas Village: Take a Bata-Libertad PUV if you are from North Ceres Terminal. Get off at 17th street BPI Lacson and cross the street to get to BPI then enter 17th street. Turn left on the first corner to find Stonehill Suites, the area where you’d find Jerry Sy’s Christmas Village.
2. Bamboo Tonogbanua’s Miniature Christmas Village
Location: Corner Brgy. 13 Access Road and San Juan Street, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
The miniature Christmas village first opened in 1996.
Image: Edna Jdm Miramar
Visual artist and fine arts professor Bamboo Tonogbanua opens the doors of his ancestral home on San Juan Street every December to showcase his miniature Christmas village collection. What started as a hobby 23 years ago to recreate the Victorian scenes of Christmas now attracts captivated children and adults. Joyous songs about the yuletide season and delightful moving objects fill each section of the room.
In the display, colorful churches with fiber optic lights capture the eyes of visitors, as well as the carnival rides that spin away. Tiny trains weave in and out of tunnels, cable cars go up and down steep slopes, ballerinas spin, and ice-skaters glide, together spreading the Christmas spirit. Each year, Tonogbanua brings miniature objects from his travels to add something new to his collection.
How to visit Bamboo Tagbanua’s Miniature Christmas Village: From SM City Bacolod, ride a Mandalagan-Libertad jeepney bound Libertad. Ask the driver to drop you off at the corner of Belle Hotel located at San Juan Street. Bamboo Tagbanua’s ancestral house, where the display is located, is found in front of Chicken Deli San Juan branch.
3. Dr. Absin’s Christmas House in Dumaguete
Location: 143 Hibbard Ave., Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental
Dumageteños usually visit the Christmas House during the holiday season.
Image: Carrolyne Lim Dolar
In the City of Gentle People sits a Spanish enchanted mansion with countless Christmas lights and trees. Dr. Absin’s Christmas House is outlined by many tiny light bulbs, making it the brightest and merriest old house in Dumaguete City. From afar, you could already see the reindeer perched atop the house’s roof in a prancing position. The vast front yard is covered by sparkling lights and decor, while different parts of the house boast various Christmas themes.
Before Dr. Absin’s house became a Christmas attraction, it was already famous for its well-maintained and beautiful gardens and building. In addition to that, the owner would also throw a party and give gifts to the less fortunate children in the city every year.
How to go to Dr. Absin’s Christmas House: Ride a Ceres bus bound for Dumaguete via Mabinay at the South Ceres Terminal in Bacolod City. Get off at Dumaguete’s Ceres Terminal and find a pedicab. Ask the pedicab driver to drop you off at Dr. Absin’s Christmas House.
4. Silay Christmas Village
Location: Silay Public Plaza, Silay City, Negros Occidental
Each barangay decorates unique Christmas installations at the plaza.
Image: Silay City Facebook Page
It has been a tradition of the hacienderos (landowners) to make Silay City’s Public Plaza beautiful every Christmas season. The Silay Christmas Village is a mini-museum exhibiting the different yuletide presentations of barangays (villages) and public schools in the city. At the center of the Christmas destination are a big belen (nativity scene) that presents the birth of Jesus Christ in the manger and an arko (welcome arch) that greets visitors. The belen also represents the hope of the Silaynons for a more progressive future.
How to go to the Silay Christmas Village: From North Ceres Terminal in Bacolod, take a Ceres bus that is bound Victorias or Cadiz City. Then ask the driver to drop you off at 7/11 Silay which is in front of the plaza. Cross the street to reach the plaza, where the Christmas Village is located.
5. Pasko sa Tanjay
Location: STanjay Public Plaza, Tanjay City, Negros Oriental
The plaza is always filled with visitors at night to see the festive decorations.
Image: Gwendolyn Valencia Aguit
On the first day of December, the city of Tanjay displays its festive spirit in its public plaza. Pasko sa Tanjay (Christmas in Tanjay) is an annual celebration that features cultural presentations and contests participated in by Tanjay residents. Also dubbed as a virtual Christmas City in Negros Occidental, the attraction features trees filled with hanging illuminated blue lights, resembling a fantastic magical forest. The angels blowing trumpets outside the city’s church is a popular picture-perfect background among families celebrating the merry season.
How to visit Pasko sa Tanjay: Find a Ceres bus bound to Dumaguete via Mabinay at the South Ceres Terminal in Bacolod. Ask the driver to drop you off at the public plaza of Tanjay.
It’s impossible not to get into the holiday spirit when you visit these spots! Don’t forget to take a picture under the sparkling Christmas lights, and enjoy your visit with your loved ones.
Go to Yoorekka for more Christmas destinations in the Philippines!
This article was originally published in Yoorekka on November 18, 2019.
