Concepcion, officially the Municipality of Concepcion (Kapampangan: Balen ning Concepcion; Filipino: Bayan ng Concepcion), is a municipality in the province of Tarlac, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 178,549 people.

In 1860, the towns of Concepcion and Magalang comprised a single town named San Bartolome (presently a barangay of Concepcion), which was a military Commandancia of Pampanga under the Spanish regime.

In 1863, a catastrophic flood devastated the whole town of San Bartolome, giving birth to the towns of Concepcion and Magalang. The residents were left with no other choice but to abandon the place. Divided as to where they were to resettle, some went north and others went south. The first group, headed by Don Pablo Luciano, the Governadorcillo, organized a new settlement on the slopes of Mt. Arayat further south and named the settlement after him. Eventually, the place was renamed Magalang. The second group who took refuge in the north comprised the Santoses, Laxamanas, Salvadors, Yumuls, Castros, Dizons, Pinedas, Felicianos, Aquinos, Corteses, Bermudezes, Perezes, Punsalangs and many others, and settled in a place (now called Santo Nino) then occupied by the Lindos and the Amuraos (Don Esquolastiquo Amurao and Don Gaston Amurao).

Most of the settlers became dissatisfied with the place, as it abounded with snakes and was scarce in water. They moved further south to a place now known as Concepcion. The settlers began clearing the land and built huts and roads. After several years, they named the place Concepcion after the Immaculate Conception, who was believed to possess power over the snakes that abound in the area.

By 1897, the Katipunan was organized under General Servillano Aquino, and in 1898–1900, Moises Castro was elected as the first municipal president under the short-lived Philippine Republic led by General Emilio Aguinaldo. In 1900, General Servillano Aquino was captured by the Americans and sentenced to hang, but in 1904, he was pardoned by order of the President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. The First American government in town was established in 1902 by Captain Smith, who appointed Don Marciano Barrera as the first Filipino President.

The town saw progress with the construction of the Gabaldon School building in 1911, costing fifty thousand pesos, but in 1918 an influenza epidemic killed people by the hundreds. By 1929, the municipal building and two bandstands were constructed, and in 1935 the Commonwealth government was installed with Don Gregorio Palma as municipal president. The town plaza, costing twenty thousand pesos, was fenced and named Don Benigno Q. Aquino Sr. Memorial Park in 1939.

During World War II, Japanese occupation began in 1942 with military garrisons stationed in the town, marked by brutalities and killings. From 1942–1944, guerrillas and Hukbalahap communist fighters aided the Philippine Commonwealth Army in battles against the Japanese. On December 27, 1944, Japanese forces left the town, with the Hukbalahap taking over until January 1945. Between January and August 1945, Filipino and American ground troops liberated the town, reestablishing the Commonwealth government. On Independence Day 1946, General Servillano Aquino and Reymundo Panlilio hoisted the Philippine flag in a solemn ceremony at Benigno Aquino Memorial Park.

Education and civic institutions followed: Benigno Aquino Memorial High School was established in 1948, a municipal library in 1952, and later, Ninoy Aquino’s political career began in 1955 when he became Concepcion’s youngest mayor at 22. Through the years, school districts expanded (1962–1971), and infrastructure such as the Concepcion Emergency Hospital in 1972 and Lucong Bridge in 1974 was developed. Civic organizations including the Concepcion Jaycees, Concepcion Educational Foundation, and Rotary Club of Southern Tarlac emerged between 1977–1979.