Paraw Regatta Iloilo: The Sailboat Race Off Villa Beach, the 2026 Dates and Where to Watch

The Paraw Regatta is a race of double-outrigger sailboats off Villa Beach in Arevalo, Iloilo City, and it is worth planning a trip around if you want to see painted sails by the dozen on the water. Plan for late February into early March: the main race was sailed on Sunday 2 March 2025 and Sunday 1 March 2026, at the end of a week of sail painting, a slalom and a food fair. No 2027 dates had been announced by 31 October 2026.

What the Paraw Regatta is

A paraw is the Visayan double-outrigger sailboat. The regatta was first held in 1973, and 2026 was billed as the 53rd edition. Its organizers call it the oldest sailing event in Asia. In 2025 and 2026 it was run by the Iloilo City Government with the Iloilo Festivals Foundation, under the name Iloilo-Guimaras Paraw Regatta Festival.

The main race runs about 30 kilometers through the Iloilo Strait, between Panay and Guimaras, starting and finishing off Villa Beach. Reports describe the course differently from year to year, so watch from the beach rather than trying to follow a mapped route. At least 44 paraws raced in 2025.

Paraw Regatta 2026: what happened when

Date	Event
15 February	Pinta sa Regatta art event at Tatoy’s, Arevalo
23 February	Pinta Layag sail painting begins
26 February	Slalom race: 17 boats at 25 ft, 17 at 30 ft, 6 at 40 ft
26 February to 1 March	Food festival in Barangay Sto. Niño Sur
28 February	Sinamba sa Regatta street dance at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand
1 March	Main sailing race, then the Lighted Paraw and fireworks

The 2025 edition ran a day later on the calendar: slalom on 27 February, Sinamba on 1 March and the main race on 2 March. Strong winds damaged ten boats during the 2025 festival. In 2026 city emergency officials counted 2,000 to 2,500 people at the sailing and up to 6,350 across the highlight events, with no major incidents.

The sails and the night

The reason most people come is the sails. Painters work on them during Pinta Layag, and they are judged on race day. Suroy.ph’s drone frames show them lined up on the sand, one painted with a row of children’s faces. The festival closes after dark with the Lighted Paraw, boats outlined in lights on the strait, and fireworks.

Where to watch

From Villa Beach itself. The race starts and finishes in front of the Arevalo shore, and in 2026 spectators lined the coast toward Oton. Come early for shade and a spot on the sand. The seafood houses Tatoy’s and Breakthrough are on the same stretch of beach; the 2026 finish was in front of Tatoy’s.

Getting there

Villa Beach is in Arevalo, on the southwest side of Iloilo City; Grab and metered taxis both run in the city. From the airport in Cabatuan, plan on 40 to 50 minutes to the city by Grab, per Grab’s own page, and more to Villa; the Iloilo airport guide has the options. Book rooms early for the festival week. Guimaras is fifteen minutes across the same strait by pump boat if you want a second day.

Iloilo keeps its old traditions on the water and its old churches on land. The Iloilo City of Love tee is the one for the trip.

Frequently asked questions

Photographs by Suroy.ph, frames filed March 2023. Checked 31 October 2026.