These roads will be closed tonight for the Black Nazarene thanksgiving procession

If you plan on heading out for a nighttime drive to take advantage of the metro’s relatively decongested streets over the holiday break, be advised that a number of roads in the City of Manila will be closed to traffic today, December 30, 2019, for the Black Nazarene thanksgiving procession. The event kicks off the annual celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene, which happens on January 9.

Today’s road closures listed below will take effect at 8:30pm, although the traffic advisory released by the Manila Police District (MPD) states that “actual closing and opening of affected roads will be based on actual traffic condition.”

Road closures for Black Nazarene thanksgiving procession on December 30, 2019:

1. Southbound lane of Quezon Boulevard (Quiapo) from A. Mendoza Street/Fugoso Street to Plaza Miranda
2. España Boulevard/P. Campa Street/Lerma Street (closed to traffic for all types of vehicles)
3. Eastbound lane of C.M. Recto Avenue from Rizal Avenue to S.H. Loyola Street

The procession itself will take the following route: Plaza Miranda, left onto Quezon Boulevard, right onto C.M. Recto Avenue, right onto Loyola Street, right onto Bilibid Viejo Street, left onto Gonzalo Puyat Street, left onto Z.P. de Guzman Street (Mendoza Street), right onto R. Hidalgo Street, left onto Quezon Boulevard through Quezon Bridge (under) through Palanca Street, right onto Villalobos Street, and back to Plaza Miranda.

The MPD has also released rerouting schemes:

1. Vehicles from Quezon City via the southbound lane of España Avenue: Turn right onto P. Campa Street, left onto A. Mendoza Street, right onto Fugoso Street, then left onto Rizal Avenue to point of destination.
2. All vehicles intending to use Quezon Boulevard from A. Mendoza Street: Turn right onto Fugoso Street, then left onto Rizal Boulevard to point of destination.
3. All vehicles using the eastbound lane of C.M. Recto coming from Divisoria: Turn left onto Rizal Avenue to point of destination.

You can check out the official advisory issued by the MPD below:

Steer clear of the aforementioned areas and you should be fine. Or, if you changed your mind about heading out, how about a Netflix session instead? We’ve compiled a list of holiday must-watch movies and series here.