Fil-am events bring holiday cheer to the Bay area
SAN FRANCISCO – Several Filipino American events in the Bay area will brighten the holidays in the coming weeks leading to Christmas and the New Year.
Merkado Kultura Holiday 2023 Market
Merkado Kultura Holiday 2023 Market is the perfect place to get into the holiday spirit. It will be held Dec. 8-9, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Dynamico Space, 447 Sutter Street in San Francisco.
Vendors will offer unique gifts, delicious treats and handcrafted, artisanal and sustainably made products. Photo from Mercado Kultura
Organizers promise a fun-filled event featuring food and shopping. Vendors will offer unique gifts, delicious treats and handcrafted, artisanal and sustainably made products.
Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with a community of Filipino and Fil-Am business owners, artists, chefs and artisans.
The event is organized by San Diego-based Lu France Interiors, Philippine-based ShipIt and 1Export and San Francisco-based Filiflavors and Pili & Blu.
The 3rd Merkado Kultura market is a joint project of Dynamico Space, the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco and the Department of Trade and Industry.
See the list of vendors here.
Halo-Halo Holidays
Enjoy a Filipino Christmas crawl featuring artists, merchants and collectives spread across multiple spaces in the Filipino Cultural District on Saturday, Dec. 9 from 11 a.m. to midnight.
Enjoy a Filipino Christmas crawl featuring artists, merchants and collectives spread across multiple spaces in the Filipino Cultural District. Courtesy of Halo-Halo Holidays
Halo-Halo Holidays Market
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sentro Filipino
Browse and support a marketplace of local, small businesses this holiday season. Take a picture with Santa, create a holiday wreath or shop a variety of local crafts and goodies.
Republika Holiday Pop-Up
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Metreon
Balay Open Studios
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Balay Kreative
View Balay Kreative Studio’s amazing art, meet artists, participate in art workshops and shop.
Parol Lantern Festival
3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Get into the holiday spirit with specialty Christmas lanterns made by Filipino artists, free samples of traditional Filipino holiday treats, live music and a parol lighting ceremony.
Toy Drive and DJ Party
21+ only, 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. at Executive Order
The official Parol Festival and Halo-Halo Holidays after party. Hosted by speciality DJs.
For parking, attendees may go to the 5th and Mission garage on 833 Mission Street behind Westfield San Francisco Centre. You can find more information here.
Parol lantern workshops
Get ready to unleash your creativity and immerse yourself in festive holiday spirit. The public is invited to join parol (lantern) workshops at Hop & Beans Café in Fremont, California, every Friday until Dec. 29.
This event is perfect for all ages and skill levels. Participants will learn the art of creating beautiful lanterns. The parol is a Filipino symbol of hope and light during the holiday season.
Experienced instructors will provide the materials and guide participants through the process of creating a parol. The $25 workshop fee covers light snacks and beverage. Register here.
