How to Spend Your Christmas Break around Metro Manila

Staying in the city over the holidays?
by Therese Aseoche | December 21, 2017

By now, your friends have already booked trips to places around the country and the world while you’re still cooped up in your room or at your office desk thinking of what you could do to pass the time over the holidays.

So we’ve curated a list of our recommended things-to-do and places-to-see around Metro Manila during the break!

Have Holiday Dinner at a hotel

Hotels serve the best holiday feasts, and you’re guaranteed to be satisfied wherever you choose to go to have your fill. You can read our list of hotels and restaurants which serve the merriest holiday meals to help you in your search. It doesn’t hurt to splurge during Christmastime, after all!

Watch the Metro Manila Film Festival

Catch at least a couple of local films at the annual MMFF this Christmas. We recommend “Ang Larawan”, a musical based on a play written by Nick Joaquin, “Siargao” which showcases the beauty and wonders of the island, and Carlos Palanca Award-winning film “Deadma Walking.”

Visit the different Christmas displays and light shows in the Metro

There’s nowhere else you’ll feel the holiday spirit the most than at the different Christmas displays and lights shows in the city. Worth checking out for your Instagram posts are the Festival of Lights at Ayala Triangle Gardens, Vertis Northern Lights at Ayala Vertis North, and the Lumina Walkway of Lights at Newport Mall.

Lounge around Legaspi Active Park and Washington SyCip Park

Both parks reopened just recently this month after renovations and you will definitely like how it looks now. It’s spacious, green, and pretty scenic — heaven for nature-loving introverts. Spend a day during your break taking a casual afternoon stroll, playing with your pets, or having a small picnic at these parks.

Visit Metropolitan Museum of Manila and the National Museum Planetarium

The MET has Free Admission Tuesdays you can make the most out of. Visit the different ongoing exhibitions that will be on display until December 29 to increase your appreciation for art this Christmas. For more information, check out its Facebook Page.

You can also check out the newly renovated National Museum Planetarium! The Planetarium is currently exhibiting two shows — A Planet for Golidlocks and Journey to a Billion Suns. You can find the detailed schedules on its Facebook page.

Watch “A Christmas Carol”

You can still catch this beloved classic at the Globe Iconic Theater on its final dates this December. Purchase your tickets at TicketWorld.com while tickets last.

Go on a Bambike Eco Tour

Instead of staying at home, why not explore parts of the city in a sustainable and fun way? Bambike Eco Tours are eco-friendly and educational, and it’s where you can learn (or relearn) the history and culture of specific places. You can go on tours in Intramuros, Bonifacio Global City, and Poblacion.

Go to Indoor Playgrounds

Looking for something more fun to do? Go to some of the popular indoor playgrounds around the Metro like DreamPlay at City of Dreams, Jump Yard, and Mystery Manila, or bring your friends to a laser tag center, an archery range, or a bowling alley!

How are you spending your holiday break? Share with us your plans below!