What's On in Manila: July 2026

A loaded month of concerts and stage shows, grouped by what you actually want to do, with every ticket link in one place.

July is when Metro Manila's event calendar stops being polite and just goes for it. Two K pop arena nights inside one week. Mitski's first show here. A Studio Ghibli orchestra. A Roald Dahl musical and a Gloria Estefan musical running on the same nights. An Olafur Eliasson show that lands and then stays open for months. If you have been waiting to put something good in the diary, this is the month to do it.

The catch is the usual one. Most of the big shows sit at the MOA Arena in Pasay or the theatres down in Entertainment City, the rain comes in hard by mid month, and the better tickets go fast. So treat this as a planning page. Pick what you want, buy early, and sort your traffic and parking before the day. We have grouped everything by interest below, with the official ticket or venue link on each one.

For the wider summer picture across June and August, see our summer concerts guide.

For the K pop and pop crowd

This is the busiest corner of the month. The SM Mall of Asia Arena alone hosts four of these nights.

EXO open things on 4 to 5 July with their EXO PLANET #6 tour, two nights at the arena. ITZY follow fast with their Tunnel Vision show on 11 July, also at the arena. The next afternoon, 12 July, the rising Filipino group G22 play their first ever full concert across town at the New Frontier Theater in Cubao, which is a much smaller and warmer room than an arena.

Then comes the one a lot of people have circled. Mitski plays Manila for the first time on 14 July at the arena. If you only buy one ticket this month and you love a quiet, gutting songwriter night, this is a strong pick. The day after, 15 July, American pop singer Daya plays the SM North EDSA Skydome up in Quezon City, an easier room to reach if you live north.

The month closes its pop run with XG, the genre bending group whose The Core tour stops at the arena on 22 July.

Prices for these are with each line in the Plan it block at the end.

For families and a worship night

Two of these work well with kids, and one is a big shared night out.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the musical, runs a proper season from 8 to 26 July at The Theatre at Solaire, with Karylle in the cast. It is the Roald Dahl story you know, staged with real scale, and a good first big theatre trip for an older child.

At the very end of the month two more family friendly runs begin. Bluey's Big Play, the live stage version of the show that has taken over every household with a toddler, opens 31 July and runs into August at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Pasay. On the same closing weekend, The Symphonic World of Studio Ghibli brings the Filharmonika Orchestra to Solaire from 31 July to 2 August, playing Joe Hisaishi's scores from the Ghibli films. It is beautiful for kids who love the movies and just as good for adults who grew up on them.

If a worship concert is your thing, Planetshakers play a three night run at the arena from 17 to 19 July.

For theatre and music lovers

Two bigger stage productions are worth the trip on their own.

On Your Feet, the Gloria and Emilio Estefan musical, opens 10 July at The Proscenium at Rockwell, Makati. It tells the real story behind the Miami Sound Machine hits, and it is built to get a room dancing by the end.

And again, The Symphonic World of Studio Ghibli at Solaire sits squarely here too. A full orchestra playing Hisaishi live is one of those nights that translates whether you came for the films or the music.

For art lovers

The headline opening of the month is Olafur Eliasson, Your Curious Journey at MCAD Manila in Malate. The Danish Icelandic artist is known for light, water, and weather pieces that you walk into rather than just look at, work that quietly bends how you see a room. It opens 9 July and runs all the way to 15 November, so you do not have to rush. Go on a weekday afternoon if you can, when it is calmest, and give yourself real time inside.

For food, makers, and pop culture fans

A run of fairs and expos fills out the month for people who like to browse, taste, and meet the makers.

The Manila Coffee Festival lands first, 17 to 19 July at the Megatrade Hall inside SM Megamall in Mandaluyong. Expect local roasters, brewing gear, and a lot of cupping. If specialty coffee is your weekend habit, this is the easy yes.

For pop culture and gaming fans, two SMX events run back to back. The Anime and Cosplay Expo takes the SMX Convention Center on 18 to 19 July, and the Philippine GameDev Expo follows there from 24 to 26 July, a good one if you make games or want to meet the people who do.

There is also WOFEX, the World Food Expo, from 29 July to 1 August across the World Trade Center Metro Manila and SMX in Pasay. Note that this one is trade focused, aimed at the food and hospitality industry rather than the general public, so check the registration terms before you plan a casual visit.

And as always, the weekend markets keep going through it all. The Salcedo Saturday Market and the Legazpi Sunday Market in Makati run year round and remain the simplest, best weekend morning in the city for food and produce.

For runners

Two races bookend the month. The REV Makati Half is on 5 July, an early start through the city. The HOKA Midnight Run follows on 19 July, which is exactly what it sounds like, a night race that dodges both the heat and the worst of the daytime traffic. If you want help choosing a distance and building toward it, see our guide to races worth training for.

Plan it

Buy early. The arena shows in particular tend to move fast on the good sections. Tickets for the SM Mall of Asia Arena nights run through SM Tickets, and the Solaire and Rockwell theatre runs through TicketWorld.

• EXO PLANET #6, 4 to 5 July, MOA Arena, Pasay. ₱4,500 to ₱16,000.
• ITZY Tunnel Vision, 11 July, MOA Arena. ₱3,000 to ₱14,500, VIP to ₱17,500.
• G22 first concert, 12 July, New Frontier Theater, Cubao. ₱1,622 to ₱6,522.
• Mitski, 14 July, MOA Arena. From ₱3,000.
• Daya, 15 July, SM North EDSA Skydome, Quezon City. ₱3,500 to ₱6,500.
• Planetshakers, 17 to 19 July, MOA Arena. Confirm current rates.
• XG The Core, 22 July, MOA Arena. ₱3,500 to ₱16,500.
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 8 to 26 July, The Theatre at Solaire, Parañaque. Confirm current rates.
• On Your Feet, opens 10 July, The Proscenium at Rockwell, Makati. Confirm current rates.
• The Symphonic World of Studio Ghibli, 31 July to 2 August, The Theatre at Solaire. ₱1,999 to ₱6,999.
• Bluey's Big Play, 31 July to 9 August, Newport Performing Arts Theater, Pasay. ₱1,800 to ₱6,500.
• Olafur Eliasson, Your Curious Journey, 9 July to 15 November, MCAD Manila, Malate.
• Manila Coffee Festival, 17 to 19 July, Megatrade Hall, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong.
• Anime and Cosplay Expo, 18 to 19 July, SMX Convention Center, Pasay.
• Philippine GameDev Expo, 24 to 26 July, SMX Convention Center.
• WOFEX (World Food Expo), 29 July to 1 August, World Trade Center and SMX, Pasay. Trade focused, check registration.
• Salcedo and Legazpi weekend markets, year round, Makati.

Good to know

July is the wet season, so carry an umbrella and assume the late afternoon rain will slow the roads. For the MOA Arena and the Entertainment City theatres, the smart move is to leave early and use a ride hailing app or the venue parking rather than circling. If you can, line up a few of these in one trip, since the arena, Solaire, and Newport all sit in roughly the same southern stretch near the bay. And whatever you pick, lock the ticket in before the week of the show.