Land
Atis and the Anihan Festival
Lobo is the Atis Capital of the Philippines. The season is August to October and the festival lands at its peak, in the last week of September.
Atis, the sugar apple, is Lobo's signature crop and the basis of its title, Atis Capital of the Philippines. The main season runs from about August to October and peaks in September. The Anihan Festival, Lobo's harvest festival, is held in the last week of September.
The season
| Period | State | Status |
|---|---|---|
| May to July | Off-season, trees flowering and fruiting | SECONDARY |
| August | Main season begins | SECONDARY |
| September | Peak harvest, Anihan Festival | SECONDARY |
| October | Main season ends | SECONDARY |
| November to April | Little to no fruit | SECONDARY |
These months come from secondary reporting rather than from a municipal agriculture office record. Precise local harvest dates and volumes are pending field verification.
The Anihan Festival
Anihan means harvest. The festival takes place in the poblacion in the last week of September, when the atis is at its best. It is a municipal event rather than a tourist production, so the programme is announced locally and changes year to year. If you want the town at its busiest and the fruit at its ripest, this is the week to come; if you want quiet beaches, it is the week to avoid.
Eating it
Atis is eaten fresh. Halve it, spoon out the custard-white flesh, spit the black seeds. It does not travel or keep well, which is exactly why eating it here is different from buying it in a Manila supermarket. Roadside stalls along the Batangas City road sell it in season.
Planning around it
September is also the wet season, with rainfall near its annual peak; the trade-off is set out on when to go. Getting there is on how to get to Lobo, and the rest of the visit is on things to do in Lobo.
Questions
- Why is Lobo called the Atis Capital of the Philippines?
- Lobo's climate and upland soils suit atis, the sugar apple, and the fruit has long been the municipality's signature crop. The town celebrates the harvest with the Anihan Festival in the last week of September.
- When is atis season in Lobo?
- The main atis season runs from about August to October, peaking in September, which is why the Anihan Festival falls in the last week of that month. Exact local harvest dates vary by year and are pending field verification.
- When is the Anihan Festival in Lobo?
- The Anihan Festival is held in the last week of September, at the peak of the atis harvest. Specific dates and the programme are announced locally each year.
- What is atis?
- Atis is the Filipino name for the sugar apple, Annona squamosa: a knobbly green fruit with sweet, custard-textured white flesh and black seeds. It is eaten fresh, spooned from the halved fruit.
Lobo, Batangas · 13°38′50″N 121°12′37″E · PSGC 0401015000
Edition 0 · Revised 27 JUL 2026