Harvard Square welcomes first-ever Fil-Am festival

Street performers from Cebu, Inc. dazzle with their Sinulog dance and colorful costumes. Photo by Cathy Uy 

The first-ever Filipino American Festival in Harvard Square was held on October 9 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in celebration of Filipino American History Month.

The event organized by the Harvard Square Philippine American Alliance (HSPAA) was held as part of the Harvard Square Business Association’s 43rd Annual Oktoberfest and Honk Parade described as a “unique, irreverent, family-friendly annual tradition where musicians and spectators reclaim the streets for horns, bikes and feet.”

The Philippine Consulate delegation was led by Consul Ricarte Abejuela III, who joined HSPAA organizers in the Honk parade which lasted for almost two hours starting from Davis Square to Harvard Square. The spectators were amazed by the Filipino-American contingents from Cebu Inc, Gingoognons in the USA, and the Mutya Philippine Dance Company of Philadelphia, with their colorful costumes and graceful street dancing.

The 43-year annual event takes place on Church and Brattle streets and has been hosted in the Square every year since 1978.

Members of the Harvard Square Philippine American Alliance march down Church Street.  

Several live music stages were set up throughout the Square, featuring an array of bands from Cambridge and beyond. Filipino artists and bands, including social media sensation EZ Mil, performed on a stage in a Church St. parking lot, alongside booths set up by local Filipino-owned businesses serving Filipino dishes. Also participating in the FilAm festival was Tourism Representative Francisco Lardizabal who had a booth promoting top destinations in the Philippines.

The project was conceptualized by the HSPAA led by Catherine Uy and Satrick Uy. The Harvard Square Alliance estimated the number of total attendees at 80,000 people.

Harvard Crimson, the student newspaper of Harvard University,  reported how Sunday’s Oktoberfest entertained “overflow crowds with beer, sausages, and music.”

“The event coincided with the…first-ever Filipino American Festival in Harvard Square…Filipino artists and bands performed on a stage located in a Church St. parking lot, alongside booths set up by local Filipino-owned businesses,” reported the Crimson.

Organizers Cathy & Satrick Uy said the FilAm festival was a hit. Said Cathy when reached by The FilAm, “We’re so happy that we were able to make a lot of our kababayan happy and united even for one day.” @The Filam