Pampanga is located at the heart of Central Luzon and home to renowned Christmas lantern festival. Every year, Filipinos from all over the country seek the brightly-colored and multi-lighted lanterns of Pampanga. It has been so popular that the month of December has been extra special for Pampangeños particularly for the townsfolk of San Fernando—the province’s capital.

Today’s Giant Lantern Festival started out as a religious activity dubbed as lubenas. The lanterns in those days were only two feet in diameter, a far cry from the fifteen-foot lanterns that Pampangeños churn out every year. Every barrio created the lantern from bamboo and other locally-available materials. They were brought out and paraded around the barrio during the entire 9-day simbang gabi (night mass) before Christmas Day. Before the midnight mass in the 25th, the lanterns were brought to the town church together with the image of the barrio’s patron saints.

The lantern festival lured droves of people not only from Pampanga, but also from nearby provinces and Manila. As bright tinsel and strobes light up for the parade, so do the hearts of those who watched in awe at the spectacle.

Pampanga is also famous for the Paskuhan Village, now simply called HILAGA, a tribute to Filipino craftsmen particularly that famous lantern makers. Its attractions include a replica of typical Filipino village celebrating Christmas, life-size wooden Filipino Belen (Nativity scene), Christmas ornaments and Lanterns of the World Museum, basket museum, crafts-making demonstration, giant Pampanga lanterns, sculptures showing Philippine Christmas practices, Orchidarium and herbal garden, carnival and fair grounds, antiques, calesa and tiburin rides, jeepney tela display, among others.On the other hand, it offers services like money exchange, tele-communications, photo copy center, post office, press/audio room, medical clinic and lost and found section/tourism information office.