Hilo, HI — The Samahang Filipino Club of Hawaiʻi Community College and the Bayanihan Club of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (UHH), in collaboration with Hawaiʻi Island Filipino organizations present the Hilo Barrio Fiesta at UH Hilo’s Campus Center Plaza on Saturday, October 14, 2023, from 10:00am-2:00pm. The Hilo Barrio Fiesta is a community celebration in commemoration of October’s  Filipino American History Month (FAHM). The event will feature Filipino food trucks, cultural performances, family-friendly children’s games, martial arts demonstration, art exhibit, karaoke contest, and activities that promote Filipino history in Hawai’i. 

In 2009, Congress declared October as Filipino American History Month (FAHM), commemorating the first recorded presence of Filipinos in the continental United States on October 18, 1587. Filipinos are the second largest ethnic group in Hawai’i and the last immigrant group to be brought to Hawaiʻi as plantation laborers, also known as sakadas.

“It’s important to celebrate the significant contributions of Filipinos to Hawaiʻi’s history and to continue to perpetuate our culture and educate future generations to be proud of their roots,” says Ela Mae Gamilo, President of the Samahang Club of Hawai’i Community College. “We invite everyone to join us at this celebration.”