SAN ANTONIO – Thousands brought their wallets and appetites to the third annual Filipino and Pacific Islander Festival this weekend in San Antonio.
Event organizers said they wanted a space for Filipinos and Pacific Islanders to come together and share their cultures with fellow Texans.
“We want to share our culture with everyone,” festival organizer Angelica Guzman said.
Guzman, along with another festival organizer Khai Sy, said that the event has grown from hundreds to thousands of people over the last three years.
“We were like, ‘Oh my gosh, this was meant to be. Let’s go check it out,” San Antonio visitor Alma Manabat Parker said.
Manabat Parker said she was visiting from Ketchikan, Alaska, where 10% of the population identifies as Filipino or Pacific Islander.
She understands the impact festivals like these can have. Manabat Parker said she hosts her own festival in Alaska.
“It was a great way to just check out what it’s like to have festivals all over the country, and how they compare, how they are different,” Manabat Parker said. “But I know that it’s just a matter of bringing cultures together.”
This year’s festival was filled with popular food from around the region, local vendors, dancers and bands playing traditional Filipino music.
“So food and culture really just kind of go hand-in-hand together,” Sy said.
Manabat Parker said she was thrilled with what she saw on Sunday and hopes her culture is passed down to the generations beyond her.
“‘Why? Why are we cooking this food? When do we cook this food?’ All those little traditions, they slowly will disappear if we’re not always reminded and celebrating them,” Manabat Parker said.
Organizers said they are already planning next year’s festival during Labor Day Weekend.