Plaza Maniago is the civic heart of Tarlac City, the open square that anchors the old town grid. It takes its name from Diego Silang's ally Palaris — no, more precisely, from a local hero — but it is better known today as the forecourt of San Sebastian Cathedral and the venue for the San Sebastian fiesta every January. The square has the usual canopy of acacia trees, a bandstand, and benches that fill with students and vendors in the late afternoon.
On fiesta days the plaza is draped with coloured lights, a temporary stage appears, and the procession makes its slow circuit from the cathedral doors. The rest of the year it is an ordinary provincial plaza, good for an early-morning walk when the heat has not yet built up, and useful as the orientation point for the town centre. City Hall stands on the eastern side.