Manila Has a 5-Day Break in November. Here's What You Can Actually Do.

What was declared, and who it covers

Proclamation No. 1447, signed on 17 September 2026, declares 16 to 18 November 2026 special (non-working) days in the National Capital Region. The Presidential Communications Office says the reason is to ease traffic and to keep summit participants safe while the Philippines hosts the 49th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Metro Manila. Two related meetings fall on the days off: the 16th ASEAN Maritime Forum on 17 November and the 14th Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum on 18 November.

It covers Metro Manila only. Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal are not included, which matters if you work outside the region or plan to drive out.

Pay: under the usual rule for special non-working days, it is no work, no pay unless your company policy or contract says otherwise, and work on the day is paid an extra 30 percent. The Department of Labor and Employment usually posts a pay advisory closer to the date, so check with your HR.

Before you plan: traffic near the summit

The days off exist because of traffic and security. Road closures, convoy routes and security zones for 2026 have not been announced yet. At past summits in Manila, the closures sat around the meeting venues and the roads to them, and they were often announced only days ahead. Follow the MMDA and the PNP's NCR Police Office on social media in the week before, and leave more time for anything near the bay area.

Friday 13 November: three runs open

The long weekend starts the night before for a lot of people, and three good things open that week.

QCinema International Film Festival 2026 runs for ten days across partner cinemas in Quezon City, from 13 to 22 November, so it covers the whole break. It brings Cannes, Berlin and Venice titles here months before they reach streaming.

• When: 13 to 22 November, screenings from late morning to late evening
• Where: partner cinemas across Quezon City, including Gateway Cineplex 18 in Araneta City, Cubao

Gregoria Lakambini: A Pinay Pop Musical moves Tanghalang Pilipino's P-pop musical about Gregoria de Jesus into The Proscenium Theater at Rockwell, from 13 to 29 November, Thursdays to Sundays.

Gabriela: The Musical is the first full staging of Barefoot Theatre Collaborative's musical about Gabriela Silang, with Gab Pangilinan in the title role, at Hyundai Hall in Areté, Ateneo, from 13 November to 6 December, Thursdays to Sundays.

Both musicals play Thursdays to Sundays only, so see them on Friday 13, Saturday 14 or Sunday 15, not on the days off.

Saturday 14 November: the big night out

My Chemical Romance plays the Philippine Arena in Bulacan at 7:00 PM, the date the band moved to when it postponed its April show. Tickets run from ₱2,120 to ₱21,200, and tickets and shuttle tickets bought for the old date are honoured. Read our Philippine Arena concert guide on getting there and back before you go.

Jona: Chapters is Jona's birthday benefit concert at the New Frontier Theater in Cubao at 8:00 PM, ₱900 to ₱5,800.

Salamin ng Buhay: Basil S. Valdez @ 75 is one night only at the Globe Auditorium, BGC Arts Center. It is the one to take a parent or grandparent to.

The Play That Goes Wrong is the Olivier Award-winning comedy about a murder mystery where everything falls apart, at The Theatre at Solaire, with shows at 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM on Saturdays. Tickets are ₱999 to ₱6,000, subject to TicketWorld fees. It plays Fridays to Sundays only, so the long weekend is your last easy window before it closes on 22 November.

Sunday 15 November: last chances

Olafur Eliasson: Your Curious Journey closes on Sunday 15 November. It is the artist's first solo exhibition in the Philippines, three decades of installation, sculpture, painting and photography at MCAD Manila in the Benilde campus, Malate. On Sundays the museum is open from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM only, so go in the morning.

Sidcor Sunday Market at Eton Centris Walk on EDSA corner Quezon Avenue runs from 5:00 AM to 2:00 PM, several hundred stalls of produce, seafood and cooked breakfast. Go early.

Atsuko Okatsuka: The Big Bowl Tour brings the comedian back to the New Frontier Theater at 7:00 PM with new material, ₱2,500 to ₱6,000. More shows like it in our stand-up comedy guide.

The Play That Goes Wrong also plays at 1:30 PM and 6:30 PM on Sunday.

Monday 16 November: what still works when stages are dark

None of the theatre runs above play on Monday. These do:

The National Museum of the Philippines in Rizal Park has been open every day since January 2025, from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with free admission, according to the museum's own announcement. Fine Arts, Anthropology and Natural History sit a short walk apart. Check its Facebook page the week before for holiday changes. Start at the National Museum of Fine Arts.

Philippine Eatsperience at Intramuros is the Department of Tourism's food market of about 30 regional Filipino cooks inside the walls, open daily from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Pair it with our Intramuros guide, or cross the river for the Binondo food crawl.

QCinema screens every day of the break, and a weekday afternoon is the easiest time to get a seat.

Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 November

Yeng Constantino: Biyaheng Bente returns to the Smart Araneta Coliseum for Day 3 and Day 4 of her 20th anniversary concert, at 7:00 PM on both nights, ₱850 to ₱8,600. It is the one big show that falls on the days off themselves. Our Araneta concert guide covers getting in and out of Cubao.

Turning Tides: Maritime Encounters and Exchanges of Power at Ayala Museum in Makati retells Mactan and La Naval with the sea at the centre. The museum is open Tuesdays to Sundays, 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM, so it works on Tuesday and Wednesday but not on Monday.

If you are leaving town

Five days is long enough for a proper trip, and a lot of Metro Manila will have the same idea. Book buses and flights now, not the week before, and remember that the holiday covers Metro Manila only, so the place you are going is on a normal working week. If you are flying, give yourself extra time to reach the airport, since summit traffic plans are still to come.

For the rest of the month, see What's On in Manila: November 2026 and the full November calendar. If the weather turns, our rainy day guide has indoor plans.

Questions people ask

Is 16 to 18 November 2026 a holiday in the Philippines? Only in Metro Manila. Proclamation No. 1447 declares 16 to 18 November 2026 special non-working days in the National Capital Region for the 49th ASEAN Summit. Other regions work as normal.

Why is there no work on 16 to 18 November? The Palace says the days off ease traffic and help keep summit participants safe while Metro Manila hosts the 49th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.

Do I get paid if I do not work on a special non-working day? Under the usual rule it is no work, no pay unless your company policy or contract says otherwise. If you do work, you are paid an extra 30 percent of your daily rate. Check DOLE's advisory and your HR closer to the date.

Is the National Museum open on Monday 16 November? The National Museum has been open every day, including Mondays, since January 2025, with free admission, from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Check its Facebook page in the week before for any holiday notice.

What concerts are on during the break? My Chemical Romance at the Philippine Arena on Saturday 14 November, Jona and Basil Valdez the same night, Atsuko Okatsuka on Sunday 15, and Yeng Constantino at the Araneta Coliseum on Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 November.