Culture
Pampanga Food Tour by Regent Holidays
Nine-hour food tour from Manila: lechon breakfast in Guagua, turrones makers in Santa Rita and lunch with Atching Lilian.
Pampanga
Province
Pampanga
Central Luzon province on the northern shore of Manila Bay, known for Kapampangan food, giant Christmas lanterns and Mount Arayat.
Pampanga sits in Central Luzon on the northern shore of Manila Bay, bordered by Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Bataan and Zambales. Its capital is San Fernando, the regional center of Central Luzon, and its largest city is Angeles. The province has three cities and 19 municipalities, and about 2.4 million people lived in it at the 2020 census (not counting Angeles, which is administered separately).
Kapampangan is the local language, and the province's cooking is its calling card: in December 2024 the Senate declared Pampanga the culinary capital of the Philippines. It is also called the Christmas Capital of the Philippines for the giant parol lanterns made in San Fernando.
The landscape runs from the lone peak of Mount Arayat in the east to the slopes of Mount Pinatubo in the west, whose 1991 eruption sent lahar across many towns. Clark International Airport, NLEX and SCTEx make the province easy to reach from Metro Manila and the north.
Good to know about Pampanga
What is Pampanga known for?
Pampanga is best known for Kapampangan cooking (the Senate declared it the culinary capital of the Philippines in December 2024), the giant Christmas lanterns of San Fernando, Mount Arayat, and heritage churches across its towns.
What is the capital of Pampanga?
San Fernando is the provincial capital and the regional center of Central Luzon. Angeles is the largest city.
How do you get to Pampanga?
Clark International Airport is in the Clark Freeport Zone, about 16 km north of San Fernando. By road, the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) runs from Metro Manila into the province, and buses run from Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
Things to do in Pampanga
Culture
Roots and Recipes: Pampanga Culinary Tour
Day-long Department of Tourism food tour: heirloom breakfast with Atching Lilian, a market calesa ride and wood-fired Kapampangan lunch.
Pampanga
Upcoming events in Pampanga
Fri
11
Dec
Fri, Dec 11
Aldo ning Kapampangan (Pampanga Day) 2026
Pampanga's founding day on December 11, marking the province's organisation by the Spaniards in 1571, with a showcase of town festival dances.
Pampanga
Itineraries & guides in Pampanga
Travel Guides
Pampanga festival calendar
Month by month, the festivals of Pampanga's towns, from Aguman Sanduk on New Year's Day to the Giant Lantern Festival in December.
Pampanga
Itineraries
Pampanga pasalubong trail
A one-day loop for take-home treats: San Nicolas cookies in Mexico, pastillas in Magalang, sweets in Santa Rita and buro in Candaba.
Pampanga
Clark Airport
Getting around Pampanga
Pampanga's transport hubs, from Clark International Airport and the Dau terminal to San Fernando's jeepney network.
Pampanga
Itineraries
Visita Iglesia in Pampanga: seven historic churches
A one-day Visita Iglesia route through seven of Pampanga's most historic churches, from Betis to Santa Rita.
Pampanga
Travel Guides
Holy Week in Pampanga: where to go
A town-by-town guide to Pampanga's Holy Week, from Visita Iglesia churches to Good Friday processions and the Cutud rites.
Pampanga
Travel Guides
Things to do in Pampanga in November 2026
Undas, town fiestas, Clark fairs and races, Sinukwan and the first lanterns: what's on in Pampanga in November 2026.
Pampanga
Latest stories in Pampanga
© EyeTrick on Wikimedia Commons · CC BYCommunity
Pasyon, penitents and procession: Holy Week in Pampanga
Opera-tune Pasyon chants, penitents on the roads and a Christ taken down from the cross: the Holy Week traditions of Pampanga.
Pampanga
© Valenzuela400 on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SAFood
Why Kapampangans cook the way they do
From Spanish friars to a republic's first banquet, how Kapampangan cooking became its own tradition.
Pampanga
© Patrickroque01 on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SACulture
Aldo ning Kapampangan: the province that began in 1571
Why Pampanga celebrates every December 11, and how a day for the province became a showcase of its towns' festivals.
Pampanga