Make Way for the Next Generation of Filipino Festivals
This past Friday, September 30, 2022, marked the opening night of The Palengke in the West Coast. Also last Friday was the East Coast’s Halina Market in NYC. Festivals are lining the streets all across the country in celebration of Filipino American History Month in October. Through food, merchandise, and live entertainment, communities are showing up and showing out for the culture.
Photo Credit: Mogli Maureal
In the Philippines, people are no stranger to vibrant festivals; in fact, they have a vast array of their own fiestas across regions. According to the Asia Pacific Career Development Association (APCDA), fiestas were first introduced to the Philippines during the centuries of Spanish colonization on the islands. To accompany their efforts to convert native Filipinos to Catholicism, Spaniards assigned patron saints to each town and encouraged the locals to attend their saint’s fiesta.
“Festivals in the Philippines are usually opened with a loud bang: a parade of dancers in colorful costumes and props all made from indigenous or recycled materials, band accompaniment, a friendly competition of the best decorated houses, a mass in honor of the patron saint of the town or province, and a big feast for everyone. Each festival also features a set of activities, such as a sports fest, beauty pageants, cultural shows and performances. Each festival has a unique theme which defines the flavor of the festival.”
- Aira Leigh C. Bagtas, APCDA
Pahiyas
📍Lucban, Luzon
A harvest festival that celebrates San Isidro
Sinulog
📍Cebu, Visayas
A cultural and religious festival for Santo Niño
Kaliguan
📍Surigao del Sur, Mindanao
A beach festival for St. John the Baptist
How have festivals adapted to the context of the Filipino diaspora? What does the next generation of Filipino festivals look like?
FANHS reports Filipino Americans are the “second largest Asian American group in the nation and the third largest ethnic group in California.” For members of the diaspora and children of immigrants, festivals are a chance to build community, amplify those within it, and share our stories with those outside of it. We’ve compiled a list of Filipino festivals in North America that embody this criteria.
Pistahan Parade and Festival
📍 San Francisco, CA; Est. 1994
This initiative was established after thousands of Filipino families in 1990s were displaced from their homes to accommodate urban redevelopment projects in San Francisco. According to founding organization FAAE, the Pistahan was “born out of the community's activism to honor and preserve the enduring legacy of the Filipino American community's struggles, triumphs and deep roots” in the city.
Made in Paradise Hills
📍 San Diego, CA
Made in Paradise Hills is more than a festival. It’s a movement to showcase homegrown talent from the historically underfunded neighborhood of Paradise Hills, San Diego and its Filipino population. Organizers have produced events, community projects, and more to empower residents to feel pride for the area.
Manila Zoo
📍New York, NY & Chicago, IL; Est. 2021
Hosted by Project Barkada NYC, Manila Zoo is a “modern fiesta” that celebrates Filipino culture. The festival headlines performers including DJs, bands, singers, and dancers. It also features vendors from the community, giving them a place to promote their products and businesses. Additionally, you’ll find carnival rides, games, interactive experiences, and a jeepney where kids and adults can sit and take pictures. The festival’s goal is to unite people through food, music, and art and to share Filipino culture with others. There will be an upcoming Manila Zoo in Chicago, IL on October 22 & 23, 2022.
Philippines Fest
📍New York, NY; Est. 2022
Organizers of this festival believe that Filipinos have a lot of talent and passion in their hearts. This year, they launched Philippines Fest as a platform for Filipino Americans to showcase their unique handicraft and culinary products in NYC. They are also celebrating Filipino American History Month with month-long festivities surrounding Filipino food. Their Kalamansi Festival in East Village is this Saturday, October 8, 2022.
The Palengke
📍Seattle, WA; Est. 2022
This two-day event kicks off Filipino American History Month for Seattle. The first night features arts, entertainment, and a night market, while the next day includes a “palengke”— an indoor and outdoor market that’s set to economically invigorate Seattle’s Filipino Community Center.
Kultivation Festival
📍Winnipeg, MB, Canada; Est. 2022
From August 26-28, 2022, Kultivation Festival was a three-day, immersive, Filipino-Canadian experience, that focused on four key elements: food, arts, music, and dance. With this event, organizers aimed to showcase a preview of what a Filipino District could look like for the city of Winnipeg. They also emphasized gratitude for their parents, whose generation struggled and sacrificed with often low-paying jobs so that the next generation could pursue creative endeavors like this.
UNDISCOVERED
📍San Francisco, CA; Est. 2016
And then there’s us. Hi there! 👋🏽 We will also be hosting a festival to celebrate Our Month. And you’re all invited — save the date for Saturday, October 22.
UNDISCOVERED, a Kultivate Labs project to spur economic activity in SOMA Pilipinas, began as a way to showcase the undiscovered energy that’s always been at the heart of San Francisco. The festival acknowledges the area’s past while opening up inspiration for what’s to come.
Although you wouldn’t know from the name alone that this is a Filipino festival, it certainly has the Filipino fingerprint all over it. Filipinos have always been deeply entrenched in the history of this city and this country. The American mainstream would suggest that we’ve only recently become relevant with the hype surrounding the ube dessert trend and Jo Koy’s Easter Sunday. But we’ve been here all along. We’ve been cooking, acting, singing, dancing, writing all along. We’ve been creating, producing, organizing, mobilizing all along. Though some people may just now be finding out more about us, they haven’t really discovered anything new.
Sometimes, the language of discovery can even be harmful. Narratives will say that the Philippine islands were “discovered” by Ferdinand Magellan and subsequently colonized by Spain, but our ancestors had been living there long before the first Spanish fleets ever came. We don’t want that skewed storyline to be applied to our nuanced lived experiences as members of the diaspora. We are undiscovered because we don’t want to minimize or put limits on what it means to be the next generation of Filipino creatives.
With this festival, we are the story and the storytellers. We, as the next generation, are the present, ever-evolving Filipino culture. We are always moving forward.
Halina! Join the movement to advance the culture forward! Learn more about us and stay on the lookout for volunteer opportunities as we gear up for UNDISCOVERED.
This is NOT an exhaustive list of all next generation festivals. If we missed anything you think we should know about, please let us know! Be sure to follow us @undiscoveredsf to get updates on all things UNDISCOVERED!
Written by Anne Lizette Sta. Maria