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The organizers of the Lapu-Lapu Day festival have announced that the 2026 edition of the event will be held at Vancouver’s Italian Cultural Centre next month. <\/p>\n
Filipino B.C. says the Lapu-Lapu Day of Togetherness event will be held on April 19, just under a year<\/a> after a car-ramming killed 11 people and injured dozens more at the festival on April 26, 2025.<\/p>\n In the months since the tragedy, Filipino B.C. said the 2026 edition will look different<\/a> compared to previous iterations of the event, which celebrates Filipino culture and is named after a Filipino chief<\/a> who fought against Spanish colonization.<\/p>\n WATCH | Call for more government supports for victims: Filipino B.C. chair says Lapu-Lapu Day victims need more government aid<\/p>\n The chair of Filipino B.C., RJ Aquino, is calling for more government support for the victims of Vancouver’s Lapu-Lapu Day festival tragedy. He said survivors and victims’ families are still struggling six months after the killings. <\/p>\n C\u00e9line Loriot, the organization’s board director, said it will focus on reflection and communal healing.<\/p>\n “Everyone grieves differently, and our decision to move forward with this version of the gathering came from reflecting on the range of community needs,” she told CBC News.<\/p>\n “We weighed safety and responsibility, and recognized that many people still see value in having a space to come together, heal in their own ways and highlight Filipino culture.”<\/p>\n WATCH | Mural honours victims of 2025 tragedy: Community honours Lapu-Lapu Day festival tragedy victims through mural<\/p>\n To honour the lives lost at the Lapu-Lapu Day festival tragedy in April this year, one Filipino Canadian artist is taking it upon herself to create a mural in remembrance of the victims.<\/p>\n Loriot said the event would be rooted around the Filipino concept of bayanihan<\/a>, referring to collective care and helping one another.<\/p>\n She said the Italian Cultural Centre on Slocan Street in East Vancouver provided a welcoming environment for that healing to occur, and safety was a top priority for organizers.<\/p>\n “We have those controlled access, defined entry points, trained security personnel and co-ordination with emergency services \u2014 as well as on-site support available to attendees throughout the event,” Loriot said.<\/p>\n “And most importantly, we’re also going to have mental health service providers who will be available throughout the day.”<\/p>\n Mario Miceli, the executive director of the Italian Cultural Centre, said it was “very easy” for his organization to offer its space to Filipino B.C. for the event.<\/p>\n “At this point, the Filipino community doesn’t have a place<\/a> to celebrate. So we offered our facility so they could celebrate here,” he said.<\/p>\n “For us, the Italian and Filipino community share a deep understanding of resilience and of how culture, family and community really help us support one another through painful and difficult moments,” he added.<\/p>\n The Lapu-Lapu Day festival saw its first iteration in Vancouver in 2024<\/a>. Both the 2024 and 2025 editions were held on Fraser Street in South Vancouver.<\/p>\n In addition to the day of togetherness event, Loriot said Filipino B.C. will also host a separate memorial gathering on April 26, one year after the car-ramming, and more details would be provided soon.<\/p>\n Kai-Ji Adam Lo has been charged with 11 counts of murder<\/a> and 31 counts of attempted murder in relation to the car-ramming.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773289930_915_default.jpg\")
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A pedestrian walks behind a mobile vehicle barrier set up at a FIFA World Cup winner’s trophy viewing event at the Italian Cultural Centre in Vancouver last August. The barriers have been used for many events in the wake of the Lapu-Lapu Day festival tragedy. (Darryl Dyck\/The Canadian Press)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773289931_804_default.jpg\")
Mario Miceli, the executive director of Vancouver’s Italian Cultural Centre, said it was an easy decision to offer the space to the city’s Filipino community. (Nav Rahi\/CBC)<\/p>\n