SOMA Pilipinas — Press — SOMA PILIPINAS

MAKIBAKA: Ignite the Fight, Light Up Our Legacy At 23rd Annual Parol Lantern Festival & Parade

San Francisco, CA - November 7, 2025 - SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Cultural Heritage District in partnership with Filipino American Development Foundation presents their 23rd Annual Parol Lantern Festival on Saturday, December 13, 2025 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) from 3-8pm. This free, family-friendly festival continues the tradition of the parol lantern—a quintessential Filipino symbol of hope, peace, and community during the holiday season, and can be found lighting up windows in Filipino homes throughout the world. The festival’s theme this year is “MAKIBAKA: Ignite the Fight, Light Up Our Legacy”, a rallying call to fight, rise, and shine amidst hardship and harm, and is honored in MAKIBAKA: A Living Legacy exhibition at YBCA, open through January 4, 2026.

PapaLoDown AgencyNovember 6, 2025SOMA Pilipinas, Parol Lantern Festival, MAKIBAKA

Mint Mall and Hall Recognized as a City Landmark, Honoring Significant Filipino American History

San Francisco, CA - October 14, 2025 – SOMA Pilipinas Cultural Heritage District and the South of Market Community Action Network (SOMCAN) spearheaded a successful community initiative to designate the culturally and historically significant Mint Mall and Hall, located at 951-957 Mission St, as a city landmark. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Mint Mall and Hall’s landmark designation on October 7th, 2025, just in time for Filipino American History Month (FAHM). The building’s landmark designation report will also be the first of its kind written in both English and Filipino languages.

PapaLoDown AgencyOctober 14, 2025Mint Mall, SOMCAN, SOMA Pilipinas