Filipino Fiesta Marks 25 Years of Celebrating Filipino Culture in Hawaii
Consul General Jamoralin delivers her remarks during the Festival. (Photo credits: Angie Santiago)
11 May 2017 HONOLULU — The much-anticipated celebration of the 25th Filipino Fiesta, was held on May 06 at the Queen Kapiolani Regional Park in Waikiki, Hawaii. Hawaii.
The day-long Filipino Fiesta, considered to be the biggest and most popular Filipino celebration in the State of Hawaii, adopted the theme “And the Fun Continues…” to commemorate the richness and diversity of Filipino culture in Hawaii over the years, while showcasing the unique facets of Filipino culture and the community in Hawaii.
Over 10,000 Hawaii residents and tourists attend the cultural show to appreciate colorful indigenous costumes and exhibits, arts and craft, visit over 50 cultural, business, non-profit booths, and watch live music and traditional dances while feasting on savory dishes native to the Philippines.
Entertainment at the Kapiolani Park bandstand featured a full line-up of performers including local talents, artists from the mainland, and high-profile celebrity personalities from the Philippines, including Love Balladeer OPM artist Anthony Castelo and Broadway artist Kristian Lei.
Philippine Consul General Gina A. Jamoralin congratulated the Filipino community, for staging another successful Fiesta celebration, which helps unite the community. The Philippine Consulate General also set up a booth where it handed out consular forms, tourism and trade materials to interested individuals. It also promoted the 11th Ambassadors Tour to the Philippines, which will take place on July 10-16 in Manila and Davao.
One of the reasons the Filipino Fiesta was celebrated was to help raise public awareness and support for the completion of the Filipino Community Center, which eventually opened its doors almost 10 years after the first Filipino Fiesta in May 1993. The Filipino Fiesta has since become Hawaii's largest showcase of Filipino culture.
The Filipino Fiesta also embodies the essence of a celebratory time in the Philippines known as "Flores de Mayo" or "Flowers of May" held severy May.
For more information, visit www.honolulupcg.dfa.gov.ph/ www.philippineshonolulu.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHConsulateHonolulu. END
The audience were treated to a cultural show which featured the Sunduan (left photo) and a modern rendition of the Tinikling (right photo).