# What's On in Manila: November 2026

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Published: 2026-10-03

*Two long weekends, two new musicals about revolutionary women, QCinema, and the first Christmas bazaars. Everything confirmed for November so far, with dates and prices from the organisers.*

November in Manila opens with a long weekend and closes with another, and in between the city fills up with theatre, film and the first of the Christmas bazaars. Here is what is confirmed so far for the month, with dates and prices only where the organisers have published them.

## A long weekend to start

All Saints' Day falls on Sunday 1 November, and Malacañang has made Monday 2 November, All Souls' Day, an additional special non-working day. That gives most offices a three-day weekend from Saturday 31 October.

For many families this is **Undas**, the weekend of cemetery visits. If you are heading to the [Manila North Cemetery](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/undas-at-the-manila-north-cemetery) or anywhere similar, expect closed roads and heavy traffic around the gates, and read the city's rules before you go.

## On stage: two revolutionary women

**[Gregoria Lakambini: A Pinay Pop Musical](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/gregoria-lakambini-a-pinay-pop-musical)** is Tanghalang Pilipino's telling of the life of Gregoria de Jesus, from a young woman in Caloocan to the Lakambini of the Katipunan, the revolutionary society led by her husband Andres Bonifacio. The music is by Nica del Rosario and Matthew Chang (who wrote the songs for Muli), with a book by Nicanor Tiongson and Eljay Castro Deldoc and direction by Delphine Buencamino. Marynor Madamesila plays Gregoria, and the score borrows the energy of a P-pop (Filipino pop) girl group.

- **When:** 13 to 29 November, Thursdays to Sundays.
- **Where:** The Proscenium Theater, Rockwell Center, Makati.
- **Tickets:** ₱1,500 (Dress Circle), ₱2,000 (Orchestra Side), ₱2,500 (Orchestra Center), ₱3,000 (Orchestra Pit).
- **Good to know:** performed in Filipino, and the run is only three weekends long.

Across town, **[Gabriela: The Musical](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/gabriela-the-musical)** opens the same day. Barefoot Theatre Collaborative's new show stars Gab Pangilinan as Gabriela Silang, the 18th-century revolutionary, written by Pat Valera, directed by Mikko Angeles, with music by Myke Salomon.

- **When:** 13 November to 6 December.
- **Where:** Hyundai Hall, Areté, Ateneo de Manila University, Katipunan, Quezon City. Allow extra time from Makati or BGC on a weeknight.
- **Tickets:** Thursday, Friday and Sunday evening shows ₱999 to ₱2,999; Saturday shows, Sunday afternoons and the closing night ₱1,299 to ₱3,199.

## Film and art

The 14th **[QCinema International Film Festival](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/qcinema-international-film-festival-2026)** runs 13 to 22 November in Quezon City. This year's QCShorts include five new Filipino short films, each made with a ₱700,000 grant, which premiere at the festival. The full schedule and ticket prices have not been published yet; once they are, the popular titles go quickly.

If you have not seen **[Olafur Eliasson: Your Curious Journey](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/olafur-eliasson-your-curious-journey)** at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) in Malate, this is your last chance. It closes on 15 November. The museum says admission is free and timed entry applies, so book a slot on its website. It is open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 6pm and Sunday 10am to 2pm, and closed on holidays, so do not plan it for 1 or 2 November.

## Two big nights out

**[MICO: Running From a Feeling](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/mico-running-from-a-feeling)** is the Filipino-Canadian alt-pop singer's first show in Manila, on Saturday 21 November at the New Frontier Theater in Cubao. Gates open at 6pm and the show starts at 8pm. Tickets run from ₱2,250 (Balcony Back) to ₱4,250 (Category 1). The Cubao train stations are close, which is easier than driving.

**[The Grand Wine Experience](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/the-grand-wine-experience-2026)** is on Friday 20 November, 5pm to midnight, in the Grand Ballroom of the Manila Marriott at Newport, Pasay. Tickets are ₱9,500 per guest and cover tastings of more than 1,000 wines, sakes, spirits and craft beers from 17 countries, plus food from the hotel's kitchens. Dress is cocktail or business attire. Tickets cannot be refunded but can be transferred, and you should book a car home before you start.

## The bazaar season begins

The Christmas shopping calendar starts in the last week of the month.

- **[Noel Bazaar](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/noel-bazaar-2026):** 25 to 30 November at the World Trade Center, Pasay. This is its 26th year, with the theme "Rediscovering the Magic of Paskong Pinoy". A [second leg](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/noel-bazaar-alabang-2026) runs at the Filinvest Tent in Alabang from 17 to 20 December. Go on a weekday if you can.
- **[Designers' Holiday Bazaar](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/designers-holiday-bazaar-glorietta-2026):** 27 November to 6 December at Greenbelt 5, Glorietta and the Ayala Museum in Makati. Filipino fashion, home pieces and craft, and every purchase funds programmes of the Ayala Foundation and the STEPS Scholarship Foundation.
- **[International Bazaar](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/international-bazaar-2026):** Sunday 29 November, 9am to 7pm, at SMX Convention Center Aura in Taguig, near BGC. The International Bazaar Foundation runs it with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the spouses of the heads of diplomatic missions in Manila, with booths grouped by country, and the money goes to charities under the line "Shop Global, Help Local".

## Ending on another long weekend

Monday 30 November is Bonifacio Day, a regular holiday, so the month ends with a second three-day weekend.

That Sunday, 29 November, is also the **[AIA Rock 'n' Roll Running Series Manila](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/aia-rock-n-roll-running-series-manila)**, starting at Luneta Park. There are marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K and kids' distances, on a route past the National Museum, Fort Santiago, Binondo and the Manila Bay strip, with live music along the way. Registration is open now.

## Christmas lights: not announced yet

As of 3 October we could not find an official 2026 date for any of the big Christmas lightings, including the Ayala Triangle Gardens light show in Makati. Last year's Ayala Triangle display opened in mid-November, so watch for news in the first weeks of the month. We will add them here once the dates are official.

_How we chose: everything here has a date confirmed by the organiser, the venue or a ticketing page as of 3 October 2026._