What it was like
Samahan Filipino American Performing Arts and Education Center has been building to this for 39 years. SAMAFEST returns to the Presidents Way Lawn at Balboa Park on August 22 and 23 -- the longest-running Philippine cultural arts festival in San Diego, two full days of professional-quality dance, music, and visual arts.
What separates SAMAFEST from a cultural showcase is the performance standard. Samahan's ensembles are trained at a professional level; the choreography, costumes, and staging are the result of an organization that has spent four decades treating Filipino arts as worthy of serious investment.
The Presidents Way Lawn in Balboa Park is one of the best outdoor performance settings in San Diego -- surrounded by Spanish Colonial architecture, shaded by mature trees, large enough for the full scale of the festival without crowding. Free to attend. Running 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Bring a blanket or low-back chair. No registration required. Pets welcome. Presidents Way at Park Blvd, Balboa Park, San Diego.