Things get better in this city during the second week of February every year. It’s when local folk express gratitude to the gods who they believe have blessed their harvest. An explosion of tropical colors and merry music dominates the streets as the city celebrates the Tinagba Festival.

The local folk, called Iriguenos, don’t just present the yield during the festival. They express their gratitude by adorning bull carts with the freshest vegetables and fruits of the season.

This year, the city government, through the leadership of Mayor Madelaine Alfelor-Gazman, made the affair more meaningful by adopting a new theme for the festival. This time, the bull carts were designed to depict the 12 values the city hopes to inculcate among its residents. "We want to make this year’s Tinagba the most memorable ever so we tried to incorporate innovations into the festival," explains the mayor.

The Tinagba coincides with the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes. The tradition began in the early 70s but its roots date back to the pre-Spanish Bicol practice of atang, or offertory rite to their God called Gugugurangwas. According to the 17th century Bicol dictionary by Fray Marcos de Lisboa, tinagba comes from the word tagba, which means "to gather the first sheaf of harvest."

Aside from witnessing the festival, tourists can explore the Sarikaw monolith and the horshoe-shaped crater of the mountain. This was said to have formed by a massive landslide which could have been triggered by an earthquake back in the 17th century.

And with more than 30 natural springs located around the city, Iriga became known as the City of Crystal Clear Springs. Mayor Alfelor-Gazmen said that the city gets its supply of mineral water from three of Iriga’s crystal clear springs for private and irrigation purposes.

Of course, Mt. Iriga is the most prominent natural landmark. It’s a favorite mountain climbing destination and is home to various endemic species like the Rafflesia Irigaense, one of the smallest species of its kind. The Raffkesua is a genus of parasitic flowering plants which emits a vile smell, hence its nickname, the "corpse flower."

Another tourist attraction is the Inorogan Chapel, built by a philanthropist to commemorate the city’s miraculous escape from destruction during the 1614 eruption of Mt. Sumagang. The site of the chapel is where three Agta hunters had suppsoedly witnessed the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose image is popualrly known as Our Lady of Angustia.