SF’s Pistahan Parade & Festival roars back from pandemic

Pistahan 2022 guests and dignitaries cut the ribbon to start the Parade of vehicles and floats that kicked off the first in-person celebration of Filipino arts, culture, heritage and tradition. INQUIRER/Jun Nucum

SAN FRANCISCO – After two years of being relegated to virtual airings of its programs, San Francisco’s Pistahan 2022 came roaring back, much to the delight of Filipinos all over the Bay Area and beyond.

“It was really heartwarming that we finally had an in-person Pistahan this year,” beamed Filipino American Arts Exposition (FAAE) President Al Perez.

“As a big comeback, this year’s 29^th Pistahan Parade is historic as we had around 55 contingents. That is the most number of parade contingents we’ve ever had when we had only around 40 in the previous years. Pinoy Pride was really strongly felt,” Perez added.

The Augustine Choir composed mostly of schoolchildren was early even in the Parade to render spiritual songs to lift the morale of participants. INQUIRER/Jun Nucum

Participating cars, trucks and floats paraded along Market Street, from Civic Center to the Yerba Buena Gardens, kicking off the Pistahan weekend early this month.

Leading the contingents were Pistahan Hermana Mayor Cheryll Cuasay Catuar, Parade Grand Marshals San Francisco Police Commissioner Kevin Benedicto Raymond Townsend, the first Filipino American basketball player drafted in the NBA, and Consul General Neil Francis Ferrer who came with the PCG-SF delegation.

Local government officials also showed up: South San Francisco (SSF) Mayor Mark Nagales, SSF Vice Mayor Flor Nicolas, Daly City Council Member Juslyn Manalo, San Francisco County Supervisor Matt Dorsey, San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa, California State Senator Scott Weiner, and San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu, among others.They were followed by delegations of Filipinos representing different organizations.

After its performance, a folk dance group gathered around Pistahan Grand Marshal Raymond Townsend the first Filipino American drafted to the NBA of the old 1978-1980 Golden State Warriors basketball team. INQUIRER/Jun Nucum 

“As usual, all volunteers can only be there during their free time and no one was paid, And for us to be able to pull off an event this is a big accomplishment. This is a testimony that our Bayanihan tradition,” Perez reported.

“During the pandemic, we were seen in more different countries outside of the U.S. Because we had to us pre-recorded videos during the pandemic Pistahan, we were able to invite Filipinos from other countries like Australia and Dubai to showcase their talents and skills like a Dubai-based chef who conducted a cooking demo through pre-recorded videos,” Perez explained. “With live streaming, we were able to bring together talented people not just within the area and we didn’t have to fly them in as we had them in a virtual manner.”

The Pistahan grounds featured hands-on and authentic cultural experiences in 8 pavilions: Art, Culinary, Dance, Health, Heritage, Innovation, Sports and Tavern and was a showcase of folk dance groups, variety entertainers, emerging talents and top artists.

The free, annual two-day Pistahan Festival was founded by the FAAE in 1994, after more than 4,000 Filipino families were displaced to accommodate the redevelopment of the Moscone Convention Center and the Yerba Buena Gardens Complex.