Pista sa Nayon 2010 celebrates Filipino culture and heritage

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Pista sa Nayon 2010 celebrates Filipino culture and heritage

Come join us this Sunday, August 1, 9am-8pm at Seward Park for Seafair’s official Filipino American community festival. There’s nothing quite like being surrounded by the sights, sounds and spirit of Filipino culture and heritage. Music and dance that invigorates your soul. A bounty of delicious food to satisfy your hunger. Community unity that warms your heart. This is Pista sa Nayon.

Lowe’s presents Pista sa Nayon 2010
21st annual festival celebrates community’s dedication to sharing Filipino culture and heritage

There’s nothing quite like being surrounded by the sights, sounds and spirit of Filipino culture and heritage. Music and dance that invigorates your soul. A bounty of delicious food to satisfy your hunger. Community unity that warms your heart. This is Pista sa Nayon. Come join us this Sunday, August 1, 9am-8pm at Seward Park.

Set in the plush natural beauty of Seward Park as its backdrop, including Pinoy Hill, Pista sa Nayon is Seafair’s official Filipino American community festival. Among our region’s many summertime events, Pista is embraced as the crown jewel by the Filipino American community.

This year Pista is proud to be joined by Lowe’s Home Improvement, our presenting sponsor. Additional sponsors and partners include Seafair; Western Union; City of Seattle, Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs; and Peoples Republic of Clothing, our official t-shirt sponsor. As we honor the history and traditions of our Filipino culture, the involvement of our sponsors and partners demonstrates the value of Pista to this community.

For 21 years, Pista sa Nayon has gathered people of all ages together for a festival that brings a little piece of the Philippines to the Pacific Northwest. It is an event that takes you back to your cultural roots and quickly becomes a grand scale reunion. It is a time to relax and enjoy good times with family and friends, a time to appreciate the history of Filipino Americans and the diversity of our entire region.

It was 1990 when Ron Sims, then a King County Councilmember, had a visionary idea to create a festival. Recognizing that the Filipino American community was fast becoming the largest Asian American group in Washington State, Sims, his wife Cayan Topacio and his staff assistant Bengie Santos mobilized Filipino American community leaders including Mars Rivera, Gloria Adams, Dr. Camilo de Guzman, Ella de Guzman and many others. Together they worked in support of Pista’s establishment as a Seafair sanctioned community event. As a result of their hard work, a festival was born. With their ongoing guidance, leadership and support, Pista has continued to grow and succeed throughout its 21-year history. It is without a doubt that we can all look back with pride at the progression and development of a true community festival.

Pista is a celebration that continues to be rooted in the traditions of family, community and Filipino culture. It creates a true feeling of unity for the young and old alike as they gather for a cultural festival filled with fun, food and hospitality. Pista is the heart of the Filipino American community that infuses a sense of pride among Filipinos and Filipinos at heart.

The 21st annual festival will once again provide festival-goers with an opportunity to embrace the cultural heritage, deep traditions and customs that are special to Filipinos. Whether it is through the festival’s performances, games, arts & crafts or food, there is always something for everyone to enjoy.

The festival will showcase the talents of Filipino American performers from across Washington state and beyond who will take to the main amphitheatre stage and the Ihaw Ihaw stage at Pinoy Hill to perform traditional Filipino folk, jazz, and R&B. This year’s live performances will feature 4Play Ladies (SF), Rocky Sandoval, Shannon Bruno, Johanna Bandoy, Alana Raye, Carolyne Igama, Agnes Ingarra, Sayaw, Palaro, PAYO, Meridian Hip-Hop Dance Team, Salvacion Experience, Jordan Ng, Ruby’s Shining Stars, Kontagious. With many festival favorites returning and new performers as well, the crowd can look forward to another successful event.

Pista sets the stage for an authentic fiesta during the height of our region’s many summertime festivals. Pista’s founders established our local festival in the tradition of town fiestas held for centuries in rural areas and towns of the Philippines. During Pista sa Nayon, a Filipino phrase translated "town festival", Filipinos would gather for a fiesta in the middle of town to celebrate a good harvest. It was a time for people to focus on their neighbors, family and friends, solidifying the sense of community and hard work. As the first large waves of Filipino immigrants arrived in America during the 19th and early 20th centuries they brought this tradition with them.

A time honored tradition, our local Pista sa Nayon serves a similar purpose. It is a time for us to celebrate the values of home, family and community. It strengthens the love and appreciation of being Filipino. Within all Filipinos there is an inherent spirit that inspires us to appreciate our past, awakens our consciousness of what it means to be Filipino, and encourages us to preserve our history and traditions for future generations. Regardless of our age, or whether we were born in the Philippines or in the U.S., we are all Filipinos who share the same history. Together we are one community rooted in the traditions of family and Filipino culture that speaks of the meaning of being Filipino.

Twenty one years ago our festival’s founders came together and it was with their innovative minds and dedicated leadership that Pista was born. It was a true gift and we salute and thank them for creating a community treasure. From its humble beginnings at Rainier Playfield to its current home at the naturally pristine Seward Park, which includes the community’s historic connection to Pinoy Hill, Pista has grown by leaps and bounds. Yet, it remains true to strengthening the love and appreciation of being Filipino and preserving Filipino history and traditions for future generations. The organizing committee continues to carry out the founders’ vision so that the next generation can enjoy Pista for many years to come!

Today we celebrate the very best of being Filipino. Community support and the participation of sponsors create the foundation that Pista's success has been built on. The Pista sa Nayon Organizing Committee thanks Lowe’s and all its festival sponsors and partners, dedicated volunteers and the thousands of individuals and families who together help make this event a tremendous success. Experience the Filipino spirit and enjoy 21 years of Pista!