# Rizal Park (Luneta): Hours, the Dancing Fountain, Free Shows and What to See Canonical page: https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/rizal-park-guide Source: What's On Manila. Please cite and link the canonical page. Published: 2026-11-12 *Rizal Park is open daily, 5:00 AM to 10:00 PM, with no entrance fee listed. Here is what to see, the dancing fountain hours, the free Friday to Sunday shows and history walks, and how to get there.* Rizal Park, which most of Manila still calls Luneta, is open every day from 5:00 AM to 10:00 PM, public holidays included, and the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC), which runs it, lists no entrance fee. Go for the Rizal Monument, the Chinese and Japanese Gardens, the Musical Dancing Fountain after dark, and the free Friday to Sunday shows at the Open-Air Auditorium. NPDC is also running free monthly history walks, with dates listed into December 2026. Below is what is where, when to go and how to get there. *Updated November 2026. Hours and schedules checked 12 November 2026.* The park is in Ermita, Manila. NPDC calls it one of the largest urban parks in Asia, and it splits the grounds into a central section, with the monument, the gardens and the fountain, and a western section toward the bay, with the Quirino Grandstand and the big lawns. Give it two hours, or a full afternoon if you add the National Museum next door. ## The Rizal Monument This is where Jose Rizal is buried. NPDC's page tells the story: Rizal was executed here on 30 December 1896 and first buried in secret at Paco Park. His remains went under the monument on 30 December 1912, and the shrine was unveiled a year later, on 30 December 1913, when Luneta was renamed Rizal Park. The monument is 14 meters tall and was designed by the Swiss sculptor Richard Kissling, who came second in an international competition and got the job when the winner's contract fell through. It is called "Motto Stella", guiding star. Look for the book in Rizal's hand, for his two novels, and the three gold-plated stars for Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The Philippine Marine Corps guards it, and NPDC says you can watch the changing of the guards here. It does not publish the times, so treat it as a bonus if you catch it. - **Where:** central section of the park - **Entrance:** NPDC lists no fee for the park ## The Chinese Garden and the Japanese Garden Both gardens date from the 1960s and sit in the central section of the park. The **Chinese Garden** was built in 1966 and 1967 by C.Y. Shih, one of Taiwan's top landscapers, with stones from Antipolo, a man-made lagoon, pagodas and gazebos with red pillars and green-tiled roofs. There is a life-size granite statue of Confucius and a wisdom walk of Chinese proverbs, each one translated into English and Filipino. NPDC says people use it for gatherings and photo shoots, so expect a few. The **Japanese Garden** was a gift from Japan, handed over on 11 June 1969. It has stone lanterns, a lagoon and Japanese-inspired bridges. Inside it is the marker for the Trece Martires de Bagumbayan, 13 Filipino patriots NPDC says were arrested after the Cry of Pugad Lawin. - **Where:** both in the central section - **Entrance:** NPDC's pages list no fee for either garden ## The Musical Dancing Fountain The reason to stay after sunset. NPDC says the fountain sends water up to 88 feet, with fireballs, water rockets, lasers and a peacock-shaped spray, all set to pop music and OPM. It was built around 1968 and renovated in 2011. - **Show hours:** 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM Monday to Thursday, 7:00 PM to midnight Friday to Sunday, as NPDC's fountain page prints them - **Note:** NPDC's park hours page says the park closes at 10:00 PM every day. The two pages do not agree on weekends, so plan to be there before 10:00 PM. ## Free shows at the Open-Air Auditorium The auditorium was designed in 1968 by Leandro Locsin, National Artist for Architecture, and NPDC says its programs are "offered to the public for free". The weekly line-up on its page: - **Friday:** Weeknights@6, a variety show across the arts, from dance and theater to film and literature - **Saturday:** Labs Kita Sabado, OPM and pop-rock sets, acoustic nights, contemporary ballet and other dances - **Sunday:** Concert at the Park, orchestras, classical ballet and folk dance. NPDC calls it its longest-running cultural show. - **Seasonal:** Cinema in the Open-Air, free film screenings with embassies and the Film Development Council of the Philippines For each month's line-up, NPDC's own events calendar page sends you to its Facebook page, [facebook.com/NPDC.PH](https://www.facebook.com/NPDC.PH). Its calendar post for September 2026, which included history walks, said admission was free. Check the current month's post before you go. ## Free history walks with Xiao Chua NPDC is running free guided history walks of the park every month through December 2026, led by the historian Xiao Chua, GMA News reported in March. Each walk has its own theme. Registration details go up on NPDC's Facebook page one week before each walk. The ones still to come, with dates as GMA listed them in March: - **Saturday 14 November:** "Have EQ, Like EQ", on President Elpidio Quirino. Xiao Chua posted that it starts at 5:00 PM. - **Saturday 5 December:** "Paskong Pilipino sa Rizal Park Luneta" - **Sunday 20 December:** "Rizal in Manila, Manila in Rizal", a walk across Intramuros and Rizal Park - **Monday 21 December:** "Pagtanaw sa Bagumbayan", also linking Intramuros and the park Start times for the December walks are not announced yet (checked 12 November 2026). Xiao Chua's own post lists the same December themes, so check NPDC's Facebook page a week before each date to confirm. ## The other corners worth a look - **Noli Me Tangere Garden:** opened in 2011, with the red sandstone Heidelberg fountain Rizal drank from while staying in Wilhelmsfeld, Germany, in 1886, a bust of his friend Ferdinand Blumentritt and maps of Laguna and Europe. - **The Flower Clock:** NPDC calls it a famous 1970s photo spot. It was restored in June 2011. - **Kanlungan ng Sining (Artist's Haven):** an outdoor art space under a canopy of narra and other Philippine hardwoods, with a circular stage NPDC calls the forum. - **Gallery of Heroes:** a memorial walk for heroes around the Central Lagoon. - **Quirino Grandstand:** toward the bay, the stage for presidential inaugurations, Independence Day rites, World Youth Day in 1995 and the Papal Visit in 2015. - **Burnham Green:** the big open field for festivals, concerts, football and other field games. ## Next door: the National Museum, the aquarium and Intramuros **[The National Museum of Fine Arts](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/national-museum-of-fine-arts)** is on P. Burgos Drive, on the park's edge. The museum says it is open daily from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM and "Admission is FREE." It is an easy indoor hour to add to a park visit. Our [guide to museums in Manila](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/museums-in-manila) covers the rest of the complex. **[Manila Ocean Park](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/manila-ocean-park)** is inside Rizal Park too; its own site places it "in historic Rizal Park". Its site lists 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on weekdays and 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM on weekends and public holidays. Tickets are on its site. **Intramuros**, the old walled city, is the obvious next stop. Our [Intramuros guide](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/intramuros-guide) has the Fort Santiago fee and hours. ## Getting there and when to go - **By train:** take LRT-1. LRMC, which runs the line, puts the National Museum, on the park's edge, near United Nations Avenue station. - **By Grab:** ask for the Rizal Monument, or the National Museum of Fine Arts on P. Burgos Drive. - **When:** early morning for the lawns before the heat, since the gates open at 5:00 AM. Or late afternoon, so you can walk the gardens in daylight and stay for the fountain and a Friday to Sunday show. Our [parks guide](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/parks-in-metro-manila) compares Rizal Park with Paco Park and the rest. 30 December is the anniversary of Rizal's execution, and in 2026 it falls on a Wednesday. NPDC says the monument is adorned with floral tributes on national holidays and other commemorations. See our [December 2026 holidays guide](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/december-2026-holidays-philippines) for the days off. ## Questions people ask **Is there an entrance fee for Rizal Park?** NPDC does not list one, for the park or for the Chinese and Japanese Gardens. The Friday to Sunday shows at the Open-Air Auditorium are free, as its page says. **What time does Rizal Park open and close?** 5:00 AM to 10:00 PM, Monday to Sunday, public holidays included, according to NPDC. **What time is the dancing fountain show at Luneta?** NPDC's page lists 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM Monday to Thursday and 7:00 PM to midnight Friday to Sunday. The park itself closes at 10:00 PM, so go before then. **Is Rizal buried at the Rizal Monument?** Yes. NPDC says his remains were placed beneath the monument on 30 December 1912, after he was first buried in secret at Paco Park. **What is the nearest LRT station to Luneta?** LRMC puts the National Museum, on the park's edge, near United Nations Avenue station on LRT-1. **Are there free concerts at Rizal Park?** Yes. NPDC lists Weeknights@6 on Fridays, Labs Kita Sabado on Saturdays and Concert at the Park on Sundays, all free. Each month's acts are posted on facebook.com/NPDC.PH.