San Francisco parties at Pistahan this weekend

Pistahan Parade with banners and flags. CONTRIBUTED

SAN FRANCISCO –The landmark 30^th Annual Pistahan Parade & Festival, the region’s premier celebration of Filipino and Filipino American art and culture, takes place this weekend Aug.12 and 13 at the Esplanade Yerba Buena Gardens in downtown San Francisco.

The two-day event kicks off Saturday with the annual Pistahan Parade, the largest Filipino parade on the West Coast. At the event site proper, pavilions and stages showcasing both traditional and contemporary music, dance, art, crafts, cuisine and artifacts waiting for all enthusiasts

Entertainment includes dance, hip-hop, jazz and martial artists and so much more. Dishes from many of the region’s top Filipino restaurants are available at the pop-up food court, and a trade expo offers products unique to the Philippines.

It’s the next best thing to a trip to Manila especially for Filipinos who make up California’s largest Asian community and have missed being in the Motherland and enjoying its and Kababayan’s warm hospitality.

Hermana Mayor is Melanie Ramil (left), a volunteer Board Director for the Asian Pacific Youth Leadership Project. Grand Marshall Janet Alvarado, is the executive director of the Alvarado Project, a community-based volunteer organization of artists, students, and educators. CONTRIBUTED

The free 2-day outdoor event is fun for the entire family and features hands-on and authentic cultural experiences in eight pavilions: Art, Culinary, Dance, Health, Heritage, Innovation, Sports and Tavern.

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It is a showcase of folk-dance groups, variety entertainers, emerging talents and headline artists. As it supports local artisans, food vendors, entrepreneurs and more, and it provides opportunities for guests to discover Philippine history, heritage and traditions.

“The PISTAHAN team is excited to host this year’s milestone 30th anniversary Pistahan on Aug 12-13 at the Yerba Buena Gardens,” expressed San Francisco Entertainment Commissioner and President of the Filipino American Arts Exposition (FAAE) Al Perez. “With our theme: Celebrate our Legacy and Empower our Future,” we are looking forward to an amazing celebration of our past, present and future.”

For this year, the Hermana Mayor is Melanie Ramil, a volunteer Board Director for the Asian Pacific Youth Leadership Project, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing Asian Pacific Islander representation in public service, community leadership and advocacy.

A UC Berkeley alumna and proud daughter of Filipino immigrants, Ramil has been politically active for 13 years on a variety of progressive campaigns, inspired by her family’s stories of injustice and discrimination.

Joining Ramil is this year’s Pistahan Community Grand Marshall Janet Alvarado, the executive director of the Alvarado Project a non-profit founded in 1998 and a community-based volunteer organization of artists, students, and educators.

Also in the triumvirate of Filipina achievers in this year’s event is Legacy Grand Marshal Maria Luisa Escalambre, one of the founders of Pistahan who actually directed its first project. Escalambre is an artist and teacher, participating in various group art shows.

One of the continuing features of this year’s Pistahan is its livestream via Kumu, Facebook Live, and YouTube Live for those unable to attend in person. This livestreaming feature of the event widens Pistahan’s network to include Filipinos outside the United States.

For more info, check out our website and blog at pistahan.net.

Pistahan 2023 poster

The Pistahan Parade and Festival was founded by 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.

Pistahan was borne 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 SOMA Pilipinas: Filipino cultural heritage district.

It was the first outdoor event at the Yerba Buena Gardens and after 29 years, it continues to be a beacon of cultural preservation and celebration.

The mission of the Filipino American Arts Exposition (FAAE) is to broaden awareness and deepen the understanding of Filipino heritage and traditions, to spark cultural pride and foster community empowerment.