Filipino music, food, performances and community activities will take over Mississauga Celebration Square from Sept. 11 to 13 as Philippine Festival Mississauga celebrates its 15th year with a three-day festival.
The free festival returns for its third year as a September summer sendoff and its second year running for three days, with each day featuring a different theme and lineup of activities.
Rosary Escano, program, marketing and experiences lead for PhilFest Mississauga, said the festival has expanded significantly since it began, both in attendance and in the experiences offered.
“It has grown so much. Last year it was approximately 70,000 attendees in three days, but it has also grown through activities, programming and immersive experiences,” Escano said.
The celebration begins Friday with “Euphoria at the Square: A Night of Colour and Sound,” a party-themed evening featuring DJs, heritage beats, drag performers and Filipino actor Jericho Rosales as the headliner.
Friday will also include a movie night at the amphitheatre and an acoustic night at the festival’s Ube Cafe.
Saturday shifts the focus to “Heritage & Harmony: Connecting Traditions and Trends,” which will bring traditional Filipino culture together with contemporary performances.
The program will feature emerging vocalists, bands and dancers, with Acoya, Tinostar and Filipino American singer-songwriter AJ Rafael among the headliners.
PawFest Sauga will also return Saturday with activities and contests for pets and their owners.
Scenes from previous editions of PhilFest Mississauga showcase cultural performances, live entertainment and community activities at Mississauga Celebration Square. Photo courtesy of PhilFest Mississauga
The festival closes Sunday with “Celebrating Community: Honouring Traditions, Inspiring Futures,” a family-oriented day featuring traditional dances, community performances and activities designed to encourage audience participation.
Filipino singers Martin Nievera and Klarisse De Guzman will headline the final day.
Organizers are also introducing several new experiences across Celebration Square this year.
The Tuloy Canada Fair will offer a community-driven expo focused on Filipino heritage and life in Canada, while Filipino Literary Voices will allow Filipino authors to share their stories and books with festivalgoers.
Another addition is the Ube Cafe, an outdoor space combining Filipino-inspired treats, live music and storytelling.
Sports will also be part of the weekend through interactive stations hosted by Philippine Baseball Group Canada, where children and adults can participate in hands-on baseball activities and coaching.
Escano said the festival will also feature new games and on-site activations while continuing its cultural installations for a third year.
For younger visitors, Kids Village will offer face painting, storytelling, arts and crafts and other activities throughout the festival.
The Celebration Square amphitheatre will provide an alternative to the main stage programming with open mic sessions, bingo, Zumba, dance tutorials and Friday’s outdoor movie night.
Together, the activities are designed to make the festival more than a series of performances, giving visitors different ways to experience Filipino culture throughout the weekend.
For Escano, bringing those experiences to one of Mississauga’s most prominent public gathering spaces is also an opportunity to share Filipino culture beyond the community itself.
The goal, she said, is “for Filipinos to embrace and celebrate their culture to the rest of Canada and for non-Filipinos to get to know more about us.”