History

FilAm ARTS traces its roots to the production of the Annual Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture (FPAC) first conceptualized in 1990 as part of the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department’s Festivals Program, an arts program designed to address the multicultural constituency of the city.

Organized by about 100 artists and community leaders, the first FPAC took place at Los Angeles City College on Mother’s Day, May 14, 1992, where 3,000 participants braved the aftermath of the L.A. riots that occurred the week before. Since then, FPAC has only grown stronger and bigger, moving to Cabrillo Beach in 1994, then finally to its current location, Pt. Fermin Park, in the historic district of San Pedro in 2001.

Today, FPAC is the largest presenter of Philippine arts and culture in Southern California presenting over 1200 artists in 9 disciplines and attracting over 20,000 audience members from all over the country. Yet, after 15 years, FPAC is still a grassroots and community-led effort,produced by a core group of 50 volunteer professionals, in collaboration with 50 community-based and civic organizations, and involving over 300 volunteers.