SF’s Filipino “Parol Lantern Festival” (2021)

Join us this holiday season for a fun-filled cultural festival of food, drinks, art, dance, musical performances, and shopping at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

The parol lantern is the quintessential Filipino symbol of hope, blessings, luck, and peace, during the holiday season, and can be found lighting up windows in Filipino homes throughout the world.

Celebrating its 19th year in SOMA, the festival features parol-making workshops and a gallery of featured parols, alongside live music and a showcase of Filipino holiday treats. The festival will culminate with a ritual dance performance and a parol lighting ceremony.

Parol Lantern Festival

Saturday, December 11, 2021, 4–8 PM

Get into the holiday spirit with specialty parols made by Filipino artists and creators, free samples of traditional Filipino holiday treats, live music, and a parol lighting ceremony at YBCA. Learn More.

4–6 PM: Taste of Christmas

Feel at home and bring back warm memories with traditional Filipino holiday treats. Free samples are available while they last.

4–6:30 PM: Live Music

Sing along with local Filipino musicians and artists:
TNT Traysikel (SideCaraoke)
Autonomous Region (jazz quintet)
Rondalla Ensemble (American Center for Philippines Arts)

6:30–7:30 PM: Parol Lighting Ceremony

Join us for a novel parol lighting ceremony featuring a youth choir and Kularts’ Lakbai Diwa, a ritual dance performance of a living dance prayer and meditation for the world with spirit boat offerings of food, flowers, herbs, and power objects, festooned with prayer flags.

Parol Workshops

November 13 – December 4, 2021

Leading up to the Parol Lantern Festival, stop by YBCA and learn the art of making your own parol lantern! These low-cost, family-friendly workshops led by SOMA Pilipinas are open to all. Workshops are hosted in the YBCA lobby.