The Filipino Community Center is scheduled to host its 31st annual Filipino Fiesta and Flores de Mayo celebration Saturday. This year’s theme is based on the colorful southern Philippine fishing boats called “vinta.”
The event will feature Filipino food, an art gallery and auction, a cultural exhibit, live entertainment from Filipino American singer Jules Aurora, and games for all ages. There also will be a sari-sari store (Filipino-style convenience store), an adobo cooking competition and a Filipino-style “mancala” competition.
“This is the largest Filipino celebration (in Hawaii) that happens every year,” said Filipino Fiesta community volunteer Brandon Dela Cruz. “You’ve got all the different facets of the culture here, from the tastes, the sounds, the smells and the sights.”
The event, which will be the first entirely in- person Filipino Fiesta since COVID-19, also celebrates the Flores de Mayo festival, which is held in the Philippines throughout May. Those at FilCom also see the occasion as a double-entendre, connecting it to the organization’s co-founder Eddie Flores, who also founded FilCom’s annual Filipino Fiesta, Dela Cruz said.
This year’s vinta theme embodies the bright and colorful sails that are typically featured on the boats. Attendees also will be able to view a vinta boat at the event as one of the main attractions.
About 12 food vendors are scheduled to be featured at the fiesta, as well as a cultural artifact exhibit, which Dela Cruz said will include a lot of interesting and unique Indigenous pieces from various regions in the Philippines.
Dela Cruz, who has attended the annual Filipino Fiestas for nearly the past 20 years, said he hopes the festival will leave attendees with a greater appreciation for the culture.
“There’s some really beautiful and wonderful things that the Filipino culture and community have,” he said. “The entire synergy of it is probably the most incredible experience.”
Filcom’s Filipino Fiesta and Flores de Mayo celebration will take place at the FilCom Center in Waipahu and run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Free designated parking areas and shuttle services will be available at Waikele Shopping Center, Waipahu High School, Milltown Center and August Ahrens Elementary School.
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Linsey Dower covers ethnic and cultural affairs and is a corps member of Report for America, a national service organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.
