Boac's Laylay Turns 65: Pansitan Festival Returns for Heritage Month

Barangay Laylay in Boac is getting ready. This May 25, the community marks what organizers call its 65th Araw ng Laylay — and this year, the Pansitan Festival takes center stage during the country's National Heritage Month.

It is not just a barangay anniversary. It is a declaration of identity.

The Pansit Capital of Boac

Barangay Laylay earned the title officially. Municipal Ordinance No. 2021-312 declared it the Pansit Capital of Boac, a recognition of the community's long culinary tradition of crafting authentic pansit dishes that locals say you simply cannot find anywhere else on the island.

The Pansitan Festival brings that tradition into the streets. Expect a pansit float parade, live cooking demonstrations, street dancing, cultural presentations, barangay games, and pageants. The whole barangay comes alive.

Heritage Month Makes It Bigger This Year

May is National Heritage Month in the Philippines. The timing gives this year's celebration extra weight. Laylay is not just celebrating 65 years — it is contributing to a nationwide conversation about preserving local culture, food traditions, and community memory.

That conversation carries real history in this barangay. Laylay Port, once the main gateway for passengers and cargo traveling to Manila, also served as a landing point for Filipino revolutionaries during the 1896 and 1898 revolutions — a fact recognized by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. The noodles and the port, both part of the same story.

What to Expect on May 25

• Pansit float parade through the barangay
• Live pansit cooking demonstrations and exhibits
• Street dancing and cultural presentations
• Palarong Barangay games and pageants

The 65th Araw ng Laylay celebration is scheduled for May 25, 2026 in Barangay Laylay, Boac, Marinduque. Residents from across the island and visitors are encouraged to join.