Undas 2026 in the Philippines: Cemetery Picnic Guide

Undas: a festival of remembrance, not an Asian Halloween

« Undas » is the Tagalog name for All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. The word is thought to come from the Spanish honras (funeral honours), via « honros » and then « unras ». In a country where, according to Pew Research, 76% of adults identify as Catholic, it is the family occasion that moves the most people all year: millions of Filipinos head back to their home province to be with their dead.

Don’t mix it up with Halloween. On Saturday 31 October, the costume parties in Makati or BGC are a commercial import, and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference (CBCP) reminds everyone that they aren’t Catholic. Undas is something else: a visit to the departed, sober in form and cheerful in mood. No calaveras or spectacular altars like those in Oaxaca for the Día de Muertos, just a freshly painted tomb, a candle, a prayer and a shared meal.

What you’ll see on site

• Tombs cleaned and repainted in the days before, with chrysanthemums and candles.
• Families sitting on the slabs, eating, chatting and playing cards or mahjong.
• Informal vendors around the gates selling flowers, candles, water and snacks.
• Bag-check queues at the entrances and a very visible police presence.

2026 calendar: a three-day weekend with no bridge day to book

The calendar works in families’ favour. Under Proclamation No. 1006, signed on 3 September 2025 by President Marcos, Sunday 1 November is a special non-working day and Monday 2 November is an additional special non-working day. The government justifies the move by the wish to « strengthen family ties » around All Saints’ traditions. The result is a long weekend from Saturday 31 October to Monday 2 November. Think of it as the Philippines’ own August bank holiday, only with candles and a lot more people on the move.

When to go, day by day

• Thursday 29 and Friday 30 October: Manila North Cemetery opens from the 29th and people start leaving for the provinces. Friday is the busiest day for transport.
• Saturday 31 October: not a public holiday. Eve-of-festival mood, Halloween in the city, and in several provinces the pangangaluluwa songs, when groups go from house to house for the souls in purgatory.
• Sunday 1 November: the absolute peak. If you want to see the fervour at its height, arrive before 8am.
• Monday 2 November: All Souls’ Day, much calmer. In 2025, Manila North counted 69,437 visitors that day, against more than a million the day before.
• Tuesday 3 November: a working day, and the best time to head home rather than Monday evening.

Manila North Cemetery, the epicentre

Manila North Cemetery, Santa Cruz

Free entry 5am to 8pm, 29 Oct to 2 Nov 2026 LRT-1 Blumentritt 54 hectares, founded in 1904

This is the country’s largest public cemetery. According to Manila’s municipal disaster risk office, as reported by the press (GMA News, Inquirer), it welcomed 1,195,326 visitors on 1 November 2025 by 8pm, with a peak of 167,350 people between 9am and 10am. For scale, that is more than the population of Birmingham (about 1.1 million), squeezed onto 54 hectares. Presidents Roxas, Osmeña and Magsaysay are buried here, as is the actor Fernando Poe Jr. More than 10,000 people also live in the cemetery all year round: stonemasons, flower sellers, caretakers. For them, Undas is the busy season.

For 2026, the rules announced by the City of Manila and relayed by the local press in early October (Manila Times) provide for opening from 29 October to 2 November, 5am to 8pm, with no vehicles inside at all. Banned items include weapons, sharp objects, alcohol, animals, guitars, sound systems and speakers, and flammable products. These hours need reconfirming with the city before you travel.

How to do it

• Take the LRT-1 to Blumentritt station, then a jeepney or tricycle. In 2025, several streets nearby (Blumentritt, Dimasalang, Maceda) were closed from 30 October to 3 November: check again for 2026.
• Arrive before 8am or late in the afternoon, and avoid 9am to 10am on Sunday.
• Travel light: water, a hat or umbrella, light-coloured clothes, a bag for your rubbish, little cash and no jewellery.

Pixidia tip: keep the morning for the cemetery and the afternoon for a breather in Binondo, the world’s oldest Chinatown, a few LRT stops away. The food tour below can be booked for Saturday 31 October (checked on 5 October) but not on 1 and 2 November, so the eve is the right day to use it.

Manila Food Tour: Explore the World’s Oldest Chinatown €45.21 per adult (based on 2 people) on Saturday 31 October · ★ 4.9 (186 reviews)

Book my Binondo tour

The other cemeteries in Metro Manila

Chinese Cemetery, South Cemetery, Paco Park

Free entry Guide for about 200 PHP LRT-2 Abad Santos 2025 hours to reconfirm

If Manila North feels too packed, there are three alternatives. The Manila Chinese Cemetery, near LRT-2 Abad Santos station, is nicknamed the « Beverly Hills of the dead »: paved streets and pagoda-shaped mausoleums, some with air conditioning, a kitchen and a bathroom. Sino-Filipino families blend Buddhist, Taoist and Catholic rites here. Based on 2025 accounts, a guided visit costs around 200 PHP. This cemetery had only 5,400 visitors by 6pm in 2025, a completely different atmosphere.

The Manila South Cemetery in Makati (25 hectares, created in 1925, around 750,000 graves) is more orderly. It recorded 120,440 visitors by 6pm in 2025, according to Philstar. As for Paco Park, a circular cemetery from the Spanish era that is now a park, it had 192 visitors at the same hour: you can pair it with Intramuros on the same day, far from the crowds.

Good to know: 2025 hours varied from one cemetery to another (Libingan ng mga Bayani 6am to 10pm from 31 October to 3 November, Pasig Catholic Cemetery open 24 hours on 1 November, Quezon City 6am to 10pm). None is confirmed for 2026 as of 5 October, except Manila North.

Beyond Manila: the name and the rite change from island to island

Sagada, Cebu, Ilocos: three ways of honouring the dead

Sagada: pine fires on 1 Nov Carreta (Cebu): 450 people at a time Full buses: book early No overnight stays in some cities

In Sagada, in Mountain Province, the panag-apoy tradition means lighting pine-wood fires on the night of 1 November near the tombs and hanging coffins. It draws plenty of visitors, and the risk of it turning into a « show » is real: these are Igorot families honouring their dead, not a staged performance. Baguio-Sagada buses along the Halsema road are full at this time, so book very early.

In Cebu City, Carreta Cemetery limits entry to 450 people at a time and received around 21,000 people on 1 November and 24,000 on 2 November 2025, according to local police. In Ilocos, the atang means leaving food on the grave; in the Visayas, the kalag-kalag mixes prayers and songs for the souls. Local rules vary: Davao and Iloilo ban overnight stays in cemeteries, while the vigil is a tradition elsewhere.

Pixidia tip: if you’re torn between Manila and the provinces, remember that Manila offers the easiest and best-documented access, while Sagada takes more logistics but shows a more intimate rite. Either way, ask a family’s permission before photographing them.

How to behave: be a guest, not a spectator

Undas isn’t a show put on for visitors. Every tomb is being visited by a real family, sometimes in recent mourning. A few simple rules make all the difference.

• No drones. Never, in or above a cemetery.
• Ask before photographing. A gesture towards your camera and a smile are enough, and never take close-ups of someone in mourning.
• Dress soberly and cover up. No Halloween costumes, no party outfits.
• If a family offers you a dish, accept with gratitude. Never ask for one, and don’t sit down to eat unless you’ve been invited.
• Take your rubbish with you. Municipal services clear tonnes of waste every year after Undas.
• No filmed « food trips ». Viral videos of offering meals are criticised by part of the local press as disrespectful.

Weather, transport and budget: what to plan for

Weather: less rain, but not zero typhoons

According to PAGASA (reported in the press on 24 September 2026), a « very strong » El Niño has an 81% chance of developing between October 2026 and January 2027. The expected consequence is below-normal rainfall and only one or two cyclones from October to December in the Philippine area. An El Niño shifts the odds, it doesn’t cancel them: Typhoon Nalgae (Paeng) flooded cemeteries in Pampanga between 28 and 31 October 2022, and Goni (Rolly) hit Catanduanes on 1 November 2020. Check PAGASA every day from 25 October and keep a plan B, for instance moving your visit to 2 November.

Transport: shift by a day

Demand will be high. As of 3 October 2026, the LTFRB had received 356 applications for special permits covering 1,003 vehicles (buses, vans), against 323 applications for 847 in 2025, according to the local press (Daily Tribune). In 2025, terminals reached about 194,000 passengers a day at PITX, and NAIA airport counted 932,405 passengers from 29 October to 4 November. Arrive 3 hours before an international flight and 2 hours before a domestic one. Avoid departures on Friday 30 October and returns on Monday evening: leave on Thursday 29th and come back on Tuesday 3rd.

Budget: a free event, an expensive city

Entry to public cemeteries is free. Budget for a few pesos: candles at 5 to 20 PHP each, chrysanthemums at 300 to 400 PHP a bunch, water and snacks at 150 to 300 PHP, a tricycle or jeepney at 20 to 100 PHP depending on distance. Accommodation is what hurts: November is the most expensive month in Metro Manila, at around 2,891 PHP a night on average (roughly €45 to 50, depending on the exchange rate) and 81.8% occupancy in the first quarter of 2026. Book near an LRT station: Blumentritt for Manila North, Abad Santos for the Chinese Cemetery.

Entry requirements

British citizens can visit the Philippines without a visa for up to 30 days, with a passport valid for at least 6 months beyond arrival and proof of onward or return travel. You also need to complete the eTravel form within 72 hours before arrival, and some airlines won’t let you board without the QR code. Before you go, check the FCDO’s Philippines travel advice on GOV.UK.