Zamboanga City once again proved why it is one of the Philippines most exciting food destinations as the Savores Food Festival 2026 brought colors, music, and excitement to the stunning island of Sta. Cruz this April.
The festival, held as part of the city Verano Zamboanga summer celebration, featured cooking competitions, best table set-up contests, and a showcase of mouthwatering cuisine from Zamboanga and neighboring provinces. Visitors and locals alike savored iconic dishes including fresh squid, the famous curacha, and oko-oko — a heritage dish of the Sama ethnolinguistic group made from rice stuffed inside a sea urchin shell.
Carrying the theme Connected by Taste: Filipino Food in the Flavors of ASEAN, the festival highlighted Zamboanga City unique position as a cultural crossroads. City Tourism Officer Sarita Sebastian noted that the National Commission for Culture and the Arts partnered with the city this year in recognition of its rich cultural diversity, traditions, and Indigenous Peoples communities.
We have over 200 restaurants offering Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Mexican, Spanish, and several other cuisines. Zamboanga is ready for gastronomy tourism, Sebastian said.
The festival was not limited to culinary delights. Twenty beach volleyball teams competed for a P10,000 cash prize, while professional divers from the Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary, and a private organization participated in the Scubasurero underwater cleanup contest. PCG-A divers took home the top prize after collecting 310.5 kilograms of underwater waste, winning P20,000.
Foreign tourist Elvie Thomas expressed his admiration for the almost untouched beauty of Sta. Cruz Island. It is beautiful, very accessible. They have to keep it that way, I love it, he said. This was his first visit to Zamboanga City and the famous pink sand beach.
The Sta. Cruz Island celebration was followed by festivities at Onse Islas, the 11 islands of Zamboanga City. Three of the islands have been officially opened by the local government for tourism, with strict environmental regulations in place. Island residents belonging to the Sama Bangingi tribe were trained as tour guides, banca operators, caterers, and beach caretakers.
The Savores Food Festival 2026 was celebrated as part of Filipino Food Month and the continuing Verano Zamboanga Festival, cementing the city reputation as a rising star in Philippine gastronomy tourism.
Source: MindaNews, April 20, 2026.