In the 1970s Kalibo mayor Federico O. Icamina revamped the festival to attract tourists. Branded as the Ati-Atihan Festival, it began to feature elaborate parades, street parties, and costumes. The expansion made the holiday similar to such tourist draws as Mardi Gras in New Orleans and Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Similar celebrations of the Ati and Santo Niño (the infant Jesus) occur in other parts of the Aklan province of Panay Island, but the Kalibo Ati-Atihan Festival is considered the predecessor of other related festivals in the region.
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