36th Philippine Cultural Arts Festival at Balboa Park

Start: Saturday, August 26, 2023 10:30AM
End: Saturday, August 26, 2023 6:00PM

The SAMAHAN Filipino American Performance Arts & Education Center will hold its 36th Philippine Cultural Arts Festival on Saturday, August 26, 2023 from 10:30 am to 6:00 pm in Balboa Park, at the Presidents Way Lawn on Park Boulevard. Admission is FREE! A family-oriented event focused on cultural heritage, entertainment and networking, this festival appeals to the whole family and allows San Diego locals as well as tourists the opportunity to learn about Philippine culture and performing arts through dances and music. The one-day event showcases performing arts with presentations of exhilarating folk and ethnic dances of the different regions of the Philippines by SAMAHAN’s graceful dancers accompanied with live music of the SAMAHAN Rondalla and Kulintang (gong) Music Ensembles. Every folk dance and ethnic ritual is performed in colorful, beautifully crafted traditional and ethnic attires that are particularly worn for each repertoire. Featured, as well, will be mainstream entertainment such as contemporary dances and vocals by invited local performers and martial arts exhibitions. The Festival also features visual arts by local artists, vendors offering crafts, books and other merchandise, as well as, delicious Filipino and Asian fusion food items, including deserts, like Halo Halo. Visit website at https://samahanarts.org for more information on how to participate as vendor, guest performer or festival volunteer, or call (619) 470-6024 or email at SamahanPhilDance@gmail.com. SAMAHAN Filipino American Performing Arts & Education Center (FAPAEC) is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization founded in 1974 by the late Dr. Lolita Diñoso Carter with the primary purpose of providing the community the opportunity to gain appreciation of the Filipinos’ culture. Its cultural and educational programs enable the community to experience Philippine cultural arts through dance, music and living traditions, enriching cultural diversity. For over four decades, SAMAHAN has been staging annually the Concert of Philippine Dances & Music in major theaters in San Diego, regularly holding Philippine dance and music classes, workshops in local schools and performing in community events. As part of its outreach program, SAMAHAN initiated the Philippine Folk Festival in 1979, held at the Scottish Rite Memorial Center in Mission Valley for six years. The Festival, renamed Philippine Cultural Arts Festival, was revived and moved to an outdoor location in Balboa Park in 1996. It has been a showcase for Philippine performing arts in Southern California for more than thirty years. The cultural and educational programs of SAMAHAN are funded in part with grants from the California Arts Council, The San Diego Foundation – Dr. Lolita Diñoso Carter Endowment, the City of San Diego- Arts, Culture, Community Festivals (ACCF) and with individual donations.