After Pinatubo’s eruption and the closure of Clark Airbase were considered twin disasters for the people of Angeles.  Mainly a service-oriented economy, the city relied on the base for employment and other economic activities.  Three major bridges were swept by rampaging lahar, thousands of families rendered homeless by volcanic ash, and the economy was in shambles.  Such was the grim scenario of a city that was considered the most progressive and vibrant in the whole of Central Luzon before these two disasters.

Historically it hass been a tragedy that struck Angeles several times like an epidemic, alongside war, both of which thwarted because of divine intervention as reflected in the locals’ celebration of their fiestas.  Angeles City celebrates La Naval every second Sunday of October, which takes its origin from the battle at sea between the superior Dutch navy and the Spanish and Filipino defenders, with the latter having won the said battle.  Meanwhile, the Feast of the Holy Sepulcher – locally known as the Fiestang Apo – is observed every last Friday of the same month.

Seemingly inspired by the roots of these twin celebrations, the city government then decided to hold a month-long fiesta known as the Fiestang Kuliat, from the former name of Angeles.

San Miguel Corporation – especially San Miguel Beer – was the first and consistent major sponsor of the event,

The TTKD is the consistent revenue earner among the activities of the Fiestang Kuliat.  Records put the figure of 60,000 visitors for the activity, while beer consumption is placed between 7,000 and 8,000 cases. Who would believe that only four months after the tragedy and despite the downed bridges, people came and took part in the first TTKD. 

Held every last Friday and Saturday of October, (this year - October 30 & 31, 2009) the Tigtigan Terakan Keng Dalan prompts the closure of some three to four kilometers of the Macarthur Highway of Balibago, the city’s prime entertainment center to make way for what is considered the country’s biggest street party.