MANILA — History came alive after dark in Intramuros last Saturday as the Intramuros Administration (IA) held its inaugural Intramuros Night Tour, combining guided storytelling, live reenactments and nighttime site activations across the Walled City.
Held September 19 from 6 to 8 p.m., the tour took participants through selected heritage sites, including the Centro de Turismo Intramuros, Casa Manila Museum and Fort Santiago, with historical reenactors portraying key figures and events from Manila’s past.
The tour began at the Centro de Turismo Intramuros with stories of the precolonial settlement of Rajah Soliman and the founding of modern Manila by Miguel López de Legazpi.
At Casa Manila, participants were transported to the 1890s through a dinner party set in a bahay na bato, before the tour moved to Fort Santiago for larger-scale presentations covering pivotal moments in Philippine history.
These included scenes depicting everyday life in 1890s Manila, the execution of Dr. José Rizal, the Spanish-American War, the Declaration of Philippine Independence, the Japanese Occupation and the Battle of Manila.
Rather than simply watch the reenactments, participants were invited to take part in selected scenes as active witnesses to the retelling of history.
The IA organized the tour with cultural and reenactment groups including Renacimiento Manila, Historia Viviente Manila, Republica Filipino Reenactment Group and Wartime Heritage Guild–Philippines.
The initiative is part of the IA’s efforts to expand the ways visitors can experience Intramuros after sundown while promoting the Walled City as a living heritage site.
Tickets for the Intramuros Night Tour are priced at P1,000, with discounted tickets at P800 for senior citizens, persons with disabilities and students.