In celebration of Licab's 115th Foundation Day on March 28, 2009, Licab townfolks, visitors and guests witnessed the launching of the 1st Kariton Festival initiated by Mayor Wilfredo Domingo and the town's municipal officials. 

A first of its kind in the Philippines, the celebration was inspired by the town's history, wherein its founder, Don Dalmacio Esguerra, along with his brothers, used the Kariton as a mode of transportation to travel from Ilocos Norte to Licab to escape the friars' plans of sending them to Mindanao to fight the Moros.

From then until today, the Kariton has been a part of Licab's rich culture, as local farmers continue to use it to transport their harvest and crops from their farms to the markets.  Made of yakal, the Kariton signifies the strength of the Licabeños in facing life's trials and challenges.

During the event, the eleven barangays of Licab adorned and decorated their carabaos and karitons and went on a parade, together with musicians, in the town's main streets as spectators and visitors lined up and watched the procession.

This great initiative will surely attract more visitors and tourists in the years to come, and will definitely make Licab known as the Home of Kariton Festival.