Silay City
Negros Occidental · Component City · Paris of Negros
About
A heritage town of ancestral houses, old bakeries and a domed cathedral, with upland forests in Patag.
History
Silay's sugar planters built elegant homes and a cultured society in the 1800s–1930s. During the revolution of 1898 Silay was among the first towns to rise. It became a city on June 12, 1957, and today keeps around 30 ancestral houses declared as heritage structures. The Bacolod–Silay Airport is within its territory.
Festival
Hugyaw Kansilay — June · June 12 (charter day)
Street dancing that retells the legend of Princess Kansilay.
Must-see
- Balay Negrense
- Hofileña Heritage House
- San Diego Pro-Cathedral
- El Ideal Bakery
- Patag
Food to try
- Lumpia ubod
- Guapple pie
- Piaya
- Native kakanin
Places in Silay City
- Bernardino Jalandoni Museum (Pink House) — Silay's 'Pink House' — a 1908 ancestral home kept as it was in the sugar era.
- Hawaiian-Philippine Company (HPCo) Sugar Mill — Oldest running sugar mill on Negros — still makes muscovado and runs steam trains.
- Angel Araneta Ledesma House (Silay Tourism Office) — Heritage house that now holds Silay's culture, arts and tourism office — start your walk here.
- Generoso Gamboa Twin Houses — Two matching heritage houses built by a former Silay mayor for his sons.
- Balaring Mangrove Eco-Park — 50-hectare mangrove rehabilitation area with boardwalks and tree planting.
- Ilaya Highland Resort — Balinese-style mountain resort in Patag with an infinity pool and lowland views.
- Balay Negrense — The finest sugar-baron house museum in Silay's heritage district.
- Hofileña Heritage House — Private art collection with works by Juan Luna and other masters.
- El Ideal Bakery — Since 1920: guapple pie, lumpia ubod and Silay's best merienda.
- San Diego Pro-Cathedral — Silay's domed Romanesque church with a luminous cross on top.
- Patag Highlands (Northern Negros Natural Park) — Cool forests, waterfalls and WWII history in the Silay uplands.