Simbang Gabi 2026 in Manila: Dates, the Churches Worth Going To, and How to Do All Nine

What Simbang Gabi is

Simbang Gabi is a novena of nine Masses held before dawn in the days before Christmas, a Filipino Catholic tradition that has run since the Spanish colonial period. The usual account traces it to missionaries who arrived from Mexico in the 1600s and held the Masses early so that farmers and fishermen could attend before work. The Archdiocese of Manila calls them the Aguinaldo Masses, after the Spanish word for a Christmas gift.

You will also hear the name Misa de Gallo, the Mass of the Rooster. Strictly speaking, that name belongs to the Mass on Christmas Eve, but in the Philippines it is widely used for the whole dawn novena.

City parishes also hold the novena in the evening, the night before each dawn Mass, from 15 to 23 December. These are often called anticipated Masses. Folk belief holds that if you complete all nine, a wish you make during the novena will be granted. Many people treat it as a promise to keep for the season, whether or not they hold to the wish.

Visitors who are not Catholic are welcome to attend. Sit or stand with everyone else and stay in your seat during Communion if you are not receiving.

The 2026 dates, day by day

The dawn Masses run for nine mornings:

• Wednesday 16 December (day one)
• Thursday 17 to Saturday 19 December (days two to four)
• Sunday 20 December (day five, the Fourth Sunday of Advent)
• Monday 21 to Wednesday 23 December (days six to eight)
• Thursday 24 December (day nine, Christmas Eve)

The evening series runs from Tuesday 15 to Wednesday 23 December. Under the Archdiocese of Manila's 2024 guidelines, a Sunday evening Mass keeps the Sunday readings rather than looking ahead to Monday, so if you are doing the evening series, ask your parish how it counts Sunday 20 December.

Intramuros: Manila Cathedral and San Agustin

The Manila Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Manila, and Cardinal Jose Advincula presided at the opening of last year's novena here. The present building, from 1958, is the eighth cathedral on the site.

• Last year (2025): evening Masses at 8PM from 15 to 23 December; dawn Masses at 4:30AM from 16 to 24 December.
• Where: Cabildo corner Beaterio Streets, Intramuros, Manila.

San Agustin Church, a short walk away on General Luna Street, is one of the four Baroque Churches of the Philippines inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. We could not find the parish's own 2025 times, so check its Facebook page before you go.

Quiapo Church

Quiapo Church, the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno, draws big crowds. The parish counted more than 2,500 people at the first Mass of last year's novena, and police and parish medical teams were on hand.

• Last year (2025): dawn Masses at 4AM and 5AM; evening Masses at 7PM and 8PM.
• Where: Plaza Miranda, Quiapo, Manila.
• Good to know: bibingka and puto bumbong stalls set up around the church last December.

Makati: Greenbelt and Forbes Park

Greenbelt Chapel, properly the Sto. Niño de Paz Chapel, is the circular, open-air church in the garden at Greenbelt, which seems to float over a small lagoon. It is the easiest option if you live or work around Legazpi and Salcedo villages.

• Last year (2025): evening Masses at 8PM from 15 to 23 December; dawn Masses at 5AM from 16 to 24 December.
• Where: Greenbelt, Legazpi Street, Legazpi Village, Makati.

Santuario de San Antonio on McKinley Road in Forbes Park is a parish established in 1975, with Franciscan friars on its pastoral team. We could not find its 2025 Simbang Gabi times, so check its page or Facebook in December.

BGC and Rockwell: the evening options

St. Michael the Archangel Parish, on 10th Avenue corner 39th Street, is a parish church in Bonifacio Global City. Last year it listed evening Masses at 7PM from 15 to 23 December and dawn Masses at 4AM and 5:15AM.

Mall chapels hold evening Simbang Gabi Masses for people coming from work. Last year's times:

• St. Gabriel the Archangel Chapel, 4th floor, Uptown Mall, BGC: 7:30PM, 15 to 24 December.
• San Pedro Calungsod Chapel, 7th floor, SM Aura Premier, BGC: 6PM and 8PM, 15 to 23 December.
• Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 5th floor, Power Plant Mall (new wing), Rockwell: 6:30PM, 15 to 23 December.
• Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Chapel, 3rd floor, SM Makati: 7:30PM, 15 to 23 December.

Further out: Las Piñas and Baclaran

St. Joseph Parish in Las Piñas is home to the Bamboo Organ, built by the Spanish missionary Fr. Diego Cera between 1816 and 1824. Of its 1,031 pipes, 902 are bamboo. Last year: 7PM evening Masses from 15 December and 4:30AM dawn Masses from 16 December.

Baclaran Church, the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Parañaque, is the stop if you are coming from the airport side of the city. Last year it held 8PM evening Masses and dawn Masses at 4AM and 5:30AM.

Bibingka and puto bumbong after Mass

Bibingka, a rice cake baked in a banana-leaf-lined pan with coals above and below, and puto bumbong, purple sticky rice steamed in bamboo tubes, are the foods of the season. Stalls set up outside churches during the novena, and last December vendors were cooking both around Quiapo Church from the first morning. At smaller parishes it varies year to year, so treat any stall as a bonus.

Before you go

Arrive early. For the dawn Masses at the Manila Cathedral and Quiapo, aim to be there 30 to 45 minutes before the start if you want a seat.

Plan the ride. Ride-hailing can be slow to book before dawn, so order early. Parking inside Intramuros can fill up fast, so allow time to find a space.

Dress simply. Covered shoulders and no very short hemlines is a safe rule. Bring a light layer for the walk; a full church warms up fast.

Accessibility. The large churches have standing crowds at the back and spilling outside. If you need a seat or step-free access, call the parish office ahead and arrive earlier still.

Mass times above are the parishes' 2025 schedules, as published last December. Check each parish's page before you go. Nobody paid to be included.