Pit Senyor, everyone! It’s Sinulog Sunday today. Sadly, there are no street parties, dancing contingents, loud music, and lots of people. Due to the pandemic, all physical activities for the Sinulog season were canceled by the city government. In fact, aside from the street dancing and ritual competitions, even the Walk with Jesus, Fluvial Parade, and Solemn Foot Procession were also all canceled.
So, since there is nothing to do today, I decided to visit downtown Cebu and then retrace the usual Sinulog Parade carousel route just to see how things are with the cancellation. Here are some of the photos that I took.
Retracing the Parade Route
Imus Avenue
This section along Imus Avenue in Barangay Day-as is usually one of the busiest areas during Sinulog Sunday. This is where people from the Zapatera area converge with the people along the parade route.
This young lady noticed that I was taking a photo as they were crossing the street. She promptly turned around and asked for a shot.
Another very busy intersection during the parade is this one fronting Carreta Cemetery. A lot of people want to stay in this area during the parade because it is very close to both Ayala Center and SM City Cebu. Today, things are quiet and slow.
Mango Avenue
Of course, the busiest stretch during the whole Sinulog season is General Maxilom Avenue or Mango Avenue. This is where the parties are usually held. Today, there were no parties and activities. The banderitas were even nowhere to be found.
Fuente Osmena
The Fuente Osmena circle also gets a lot of action on Sinulog Sunday. Aside from having dining and merchandise stalls, the circle is also everyone’s favorite parade spot as dancers usually perform their street dancing routine in this area. Today, the circle is still off-limits to visitors.
Jones Avenue
Osmena Boulevard or Jones Avenue is everyone’s favorite spot for celebrity watching. As this is the final stretch before entering the Cebu City Sports Center, a lot of floats carrying celebrities end up getting stuck in this area. That means more time with the stars!
Today, only a few vehicles can be seen in the area.
Cebu City Sports Center
This final spot before entering the CCSC is always very busy. This is where props, instruments, back-up vehicles, and other materials enter the grandstand.
Today, I saw very few people in the area.
This spot is a ‘breathing space’ as no performances are held here. Hence, parade attendees can relax and breathe freely here before enduring heavy foot traffic on both ends.
This junction is one of the ‘deadliest’ spots along the parade route. Human traffic can get overwhelmingly huge here. And the number of people crossing the route at any given time to get to the other side can be pretty crazy. Today, there is very little activity in the area.
Downtown Cebu on Sinulog Sunday 2021
With a lot of establishments closed on Sundays, downtown Cebu had a chill and slow vibe on Sinulog day.
Even the very busy Metro Colon area was mellow and chill.
In this part of Juan Luna, the long queue of devotees wanting to enter the church can already be seen.
The vicinity (at least two blocks on all sides) around the church has been closed off to traffic.
We had to take this road to go around the church and exit in the Plaza Independencia area. By the way, the CCLEX is looking lovely from this angle.
Even Carbon Market is very quiet. Wow!
Traffic personnel and cops manned the blocked roads leading to the Basilica.
Since a lot of people can’t enter the area around the church, candle vendors instead sold their ware along this street behind the Cebu City Hall.
What do you think of this year’s Sinulog Sunday? Let us know in the comments below!
