Panagdadapun Festival comes from the word panagdadapun, which is a word in Ilocano language that means gathering. The high point of the fest is the Araw ng Quirino Foundation, which translates to Quirino Foundation Day, that celebrates the founding of the province. It was put on hold in 2020 and 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic and revived in 2022.

Quirino is located along the upper floodplains of Cagayan River. Its neighboring provinces are Aurora, Isabela, and Nueva Vizcaya. All of these provinces are part of the Cagayan Valley Region alongside Batanes and Cagayan.

Quirino was named after the Philippine president Elpidio Quirino and consisted of forested of then Nueva Viczaya. It was the homeland of the Negritos, the aboriginal group of people who lived in and subsisted on sustenance offered by the forest. Other ethno-linguisitic groups include Bugkalots, Dumagats, Gaddang, Ifugaos, and Isinays.

Then it became a subprovince of Nueva Vizcaya when Republic Act No. 4734 was approved on June 18, 1966. It was composed of the towns of Aglipay, Diffun, Maddela, and Saguday. Then the municipality of Cabarroguis was carved from a part of territories comprising the town of Aglipay through Republic Act No. 5554 that was approved on June 21, 1969.

The province became an independent province when it ceded from Nueva Vizcaya by virtue of Republic Act No. 6394 that was approved on September 10, 1971. This is the date that Panagdadapun Festival and Araw ng Quirino Foundation commemorates.