Imbayah Festival

Imbayah takes its name from the bayah, the rice wine served at the feast an Ifugao family gives on reaching a certain rank, and the modern festival at Banaue draws on that tradition of thanksgiving after harvest. It runs over several days in April with rituals and chants performed by elders, gong ensembles, traditional dances, and games and contests drawn from village life - rice pounding, wrestling, tug of war, tribal war dances. The event people photograph is the wooden scooter race: riders come down the mountain road into Banaue on hand-carved scooters, heavy machines cut from single pieces of wood with no brakes worth the name, in a competition that is genuinely fast and genuinely dangerous. Imbayah has been held at intervals rather than annually - originally every three years, and irregularly since - so anyone planning around it should confirm with the municipality that it is running before booking.

What you actually see

• The scooter race - hand-carved wooden machines down the mountain road.
• The elders' rituals - chants and ceremonies opening the festival.
• The gong ensembles - Ifugao music and dance in the streets.
• The village games - rice pounding, wrestling and contests.

When to go

April, in the years it is held. Confirm with Banaue's municipal office before making plans - the festival is not annual and dates shift.

Honest expectations

The festival does not run every year. Banaue's accommodation is limited and fills completely when it does - book far ahead. The scooter race is dangerous for participants and spectators should keep well clear of the road.

Nearby

The Batad and Bangaan terraces are close; Bontoc and Sagada are north over the mountain road.