The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the personal experiences and perceptions of local tourists on festivals in Tagum City. Moreover, the primary objective of this study was to provide valuable insights to the event organizer, tourism department, and local government unit of Tagum City. The study conducted within Tagum City, highlighted twelve (12) attendees ages eighteen years old and above, a resident of Tagum City who had an experience attending among the festivals in Tagum City. Among twelve (12) participants, six (6) went through in-depth interviews, while the remaining six (6) were subjected to focus group discussion. The data were analyzed through thematic analysis. Results showed that the experiences of the local tourists were the following: desiring an improved festival operation; experiencing varied emotions; facing festival challenges; witnessing memorable moments; establishing festival networks; and attending to specific popular festivals in the locality. Furthermore, the results for the contribution of the local experiences to developed Tagum City’s Tourism Industry were the following: develop good services and facilities, establish destination branding, gain support and promotion for festivals, and strengthen collaboration among different entities. Moreover, these were the results for the recommendations of the local tourists for the improvement of Tagum City’s festivals: boost festival services and organization, add more festival entertainments, enhance security and traffic management, strengthen promotional advertising, heighten exposure of local products and practices, and include other known festival activities. In nutshell, results will act as a basis for enhancing the overall quality of festivals and formulating creative strategies that will increase the level of satisfaction among festival attendees.