The 19th Annual San Francisco Parol Lantern Festival
Light Tomorrow With Today
Tanglawin Ang Bukas Sa Kasalukuyan
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 Pilipino symbol of hope, blessings, luck, and peace, during the holiday season, and can be found lighting up windows in Filipino homes throughout the world.
On its 19th year in SOMA, the festival features parol-making workshops, a gallery of featured parols, with live music, and a showcase of Filipino holiday treats. The festival will culminate with a ritual dance performance and a parol lighting ceremony.
Festival Components
Parol Workshops
November 13 through December 4, 2021
Learn the art of making a Parol. Low-cost, family-friendly workshops are open to all. Workshops are hosted at YBCA Grand Lobby, on the following dates:
Saturday, November 13, 1-3pm
Saturday, November 13, 3-5pm
Friday, November 19, 1-3pm
Friday, November 19, 3-5pm
Saturday, November 20, 1-3pm
Saturday, November 20, 3-5pm
Friday, December 3, 1-3pm
Friday, December 3, 3-5pm
Saturday, December 4, 1-3pm
Saturday, December 4, 3-5pm
Parol Lantern Festival
December 11, 2021, 4pm - 8pm
Visit YBCA to see a showcase of specialty parols made by Filipino artists and creators, and enjoy free samples of traditional Filipino holiday treats, along with live music and a short program for a parol lighting ceremony.
Festival Schedule:
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm: Taste of Christmas. Feel at home and bring back warm memories with traditional Filipino holiday treats. Free samples are available while they last.
4:00 pm - 6:30 pm: Live music. Sing along with local Filipino musicians and artists:
TNT Traysikel - SideCaraoke
Autonomous Region - Jazz Quintet
American Center for Philippines Arts - Rondalla Ensemble
6:30 pm - 7:30pm: 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.