Get Ready for Tsinelas Party– Biliran’s Biggest Street Event

Tsinelas Party is Biliran’s biggest and most anticipated street celebration! Think of a packed concert with dancing, lights, bubbles, and booze.

But it’s more than that.

This annual event brings locals and visitors together for an evening of the wettest and wildest gathering.

And the air is already filled with excitement as the date draws near!

On the first Saturday evening of October, the streets of Naval will be packed with crowds, with the epicenter just in front of Naval Gym.

Are you ready?

What is Tsinelas Party?

Tsinelas Party is a unique Biliranon street celebration that centers around the humble “tsinelas” (Bisaya word for flip-flops or slippers).

But don’t be fooled by the simplicity of the footwear!

As you might have guessed, partygoers at this event need only wear slippers, which is actually a symbol of equality and unity.

Local townsfolks or visitors, rich or poor, foreigners or aliens– everyone comes together for this celebration in their tsinelas, breaking down social barriers.

Wear anything you like– we don’t care as long as you have your flip-flops!

Colorful lights dominated by purple and the crowd vibing the party.

Brief History of Naval’s Tsinelas Party

The Tsinelas Party first kicked off in 2007, and yes, folks, that means we’re now strapping on our slippers for the 17th year!

But this wasn’t always just about dancing in flip-flops and having a good time. Nope, this event actually started with a little bit of rebellion.

From Protest to Party

Back in the day, the local fiesta was more of an exclusive club, where the poor lumads (native folks) of Naval were left out while the elite, non-native visitors hogged the spotlight.

So what did the locals do?

They threw their own party— with a simple but powerful message: “No shoes? No problem!”

The slippers became a symbol of inclusion, and what began as a democratic protest soon turned into Biliran’s most epic street party.

From revolution to revelry, the Tsinelas Party was born.

Now, everyone’s invited to slip into their favorite tsinelas and join the fun!

Party Overview

Here’s a short recap of what to expect.

You will be:

Sweating a lot
Bumping into friends
Dancing in tightly packed crowds
Sprayed with bubbles and water
Drinking
Drinking a whole lot more
Passing out (Optional)

DJ Section

The party will have two stages and two dance floors, with the first featuring modern DJs energizing the crowd. It will be located in front of the Naval Gymnasium.

Most of the participants here will be youth, and the crowd will be the thickest and wildest!

Expect bubbles and water sprays raining down this area.

Live Band Section

Another party venue is also along P. Innocentes Street, in front of Botica Velasques, just beside the Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Cathedral.

Here, a live band with local singers will be performing, and their tune will be a disco jam.

There are fewer crowds here but people can move and dance around.

FREE Tsinelas Party T-Shirt Designs

As of this writing, I’m seeing t-shirt designs for Tsinelas Party everywhere and they are quite expensive.

It just so happens that I love making t-shirt designs for myself and, this time, for everyone.

I can’t guarantee you will like them, but I’m putting it anyway, lol!

Feel free to take these sketches to your favorite print shop if you fancy any of these.

How many people celebrate the Tsinelas Party?

I dug into police reports, browsed government estimates, and even scrolled through local blogs.

But guess what? I found… absolutely nothing! Nada. Zilch.

Not even a rough headcount of last year’s 2023 crowd.

I was there, so I kinda have an idea of how the people flocked, including those on the curbside.

Drone shot featuring the aerial view of Tsinelas Party 2023. — Image: **LGU Naval’s Facebook Page**

So, armed with a drone shot from LGU Naval’s Facebook page and a crash course on crowd estimation from YouTube and Reddit (yep, I did that), I crunched some numbers.