{"id":323408,"date":"2026-05-19T20:57:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T20:57:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/323408\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T20:57:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T20:57:31","slug":"long-beach-filipino-festival-unites-the-pinoys-and-pinays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/323408\/","title":{"rendered":"Long Beach Filipino Festival unites the pinoys and pinays"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you drive by Jackie Robinson Academy in Long Beach in early May, you might hear the cheers of happy families and the smell of sizzling pork from the annual Filipino Festival.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The event on May 9 held close to 80 vendors ranging from retail such as clothing, jewelry and souvenirs, to food such as pork belly, ube smash burgers and shaved ice. Community members lined up throughout the day to get nostalgic and authentic flavors from the Philippines.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hundreds of people showed their support as they celebrated the annual festival while dancing, eating and laughing in the school\u2019s auditorium.<\/p>\n

\"\"Lines are filled with customers as food vendors serve their signature items during the seventh annual Long Beach Filipino Festival on May 9, 2026 at Jackie Robinson Academy. (Jorge Hernandez | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

\"\"Darko\u2019s Street Food chef Remrick Clemente prepares their signature burger that features a house-made Ube bun on May 9, 2026, at the seventh annual Long Beach Filipino Festival at Jackie Robinson Academy. (Jorge Hernandez | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

\"\"Aliyan Edrada visits the Nyoot shop containing pop culture apparel and custom charms at the seventh annual Long Beach Filipino Festival on May 9, 2026. (Jorge Hernandez | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

Kent Clark, owner of the small business Fluffy Ice Delight, applied to be part of the event after seeing it promoted on Instagram. \u201cThis beats working in a nine to five job,\u201d Clark said in between serving customers. The fluffy ice stays true to its name. Every scoop you take melts in your mouth, leaving a feeling of satisfaction along with the sweet taste of mango. The shaved ice provided a refreshing respite on the 80 degree Saturday.<\/p>\n

The event also featured a lineup of Filipino artists and comedians such as Erik Escobar and RockaPelli. The Re\u00e1l De\u00e1l band, which performs covers of songs from the \u201870s to 2000s consists of a sibling duo, Mitchell and Megan Villareal, as well as their father Mike.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Check out our video coverage of the festival here: <\/p>\n

Mitchell is a Long Beach native and said he was happy to see the community show their support, both for their band and their culture.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur future goals is to book more gigs, and my sister is a songwriter so she\u2019s trying to make it in the songwriting industry,\u201d Mitchell said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The festival\u2019s executive director, Ralph Santos, took over the event from previous owner Anthony Formoso after 2019. Santos said he wanted to do something different with the festival and turned this year into a \u201890s themed event. A \u201890s Filipino look alike contest was one of many activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people are doing \u201890s parties but I\u2019m not sure if anyone has done a \u201890s Filipino festival before,\u201d Santos said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"The Long Beach-based family cover band \u201cThe R\u00e9al D\u00e9al\u201d performs on stage on May 9, 2026, to entertain the crowd during the seventh annual Filipino Festival at Jackie Robinson Academy. (Jorge Hernandez | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

\"\"Singer Nyah performs her songs on stage on May 9, 2026, as she entertains attendees on a sunny afternoon during the seventh annual Long Beach Filipino Festival at Jackie Robinson Academy. (Jorge Hernandez | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

\"\"Themed T-shirts for the Long Beach Filipino Festival are sold by mobile print shop We Print Live! operated by Lance Lazatin on May 9, 2026. (Jorge Hernandez | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

Ube was everywhere to be seen: in drinks, ice cream, milkshakes and cookies. The ube cookie from \u201cAll Things Ube\u201d had a soft texture with a light glaze on top, giving it a slight crisp. It also had a rich fudge taste contrasting the delicious nutty flavor of the ube.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chris Regner, a small business owner of the clothing line Isla Born, spent the day making connections with his fellow vendors and basking in the celebration. His shirts came in both a coffee brown color or vintage off-white, boasting designs featuring classic Filipino locations and traditions, such as a sari-sari store and people playing basketball in the streets of the Philippines. Each of the designs Regner created is meant to give the feeling of being back home.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means a lot being able to see us Filipinos gather around and come together in unity,\u201d said attendee Justin Genilo.<\/p>\n

More Photos:<\/p>\n

\"\"Arlene Alpuerto and her family look at a vendor\u2019s jewelry and accessories from the Sunkissed Pinay on May 9, 2026, at the seventh annual Long Beach Filipino Festival. (Jorge Hernandez | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

\"\"Signature burgers topped with in-house ube buns are displayed at Darko\u2019s Street Food booth run by Remrick Clemente as he serves attendees during the seventh annual Long Beach Filipino Festival on May, 9, 2026. (Jorge Hernandez | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

\"\"A classic Chevy Impala SS and Ford Thunderbird from the Islanders Car Club are parked at Jackie Robinson Academy field on display with several traditional Filipino items on May 9, 2026, during the seventh annual Long Beach Filipino Festival. (Jorge Hernandez | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

\"\"Kim Robert Pilare from KRP Lato Arosep Seamoss Guso and Street Food grills up skewers and bastes his signature sauce onto the various meats on May 9, 2026, at the seventh annual Long Beach Filipino Festival. (Jorge Hernandez | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

\"\"The collab duo Rockapelli performs their original songs and covers on stage on May 9, 2026, as they entertain the crowd during the seventh annual Long Beach Filipino Festival. (Jorge Hernandez | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

\"\"Lav\u2019s Asian Cuisine cooks prepare food to serve attendees on May 9, 2026, including fried pork belly and other options during the seventh annual Long Beach Filipino festival at Jackie Robinson Academy. (Jorge Hernandez | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

\"\"Sang Phan and his friends share food from various vendors during the seventh annual Long Beach Filipino Festival on May 9, 2026. (Jorge Hernandez | Signal Tribune)
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