Halika na! Maki-fiesta na!

Auckland — At the first-ever ‘Fiesta Pilipinas’ the spotlight is on the Filipino-Kiwi community in Auckland. Similar shows will follow in other key cities in New Zealand.

New Zealand’s largest concentration of Pinoys (Filipinos) is found in the City of the Sails. It is estimated that there are over 12,000 Filipinos resident here.

The fiesta is part and parcel of Filipino culture. Each city and barrio in the Philippines has at least one local festival of its own, usually on the feast of its patron saint, so that there is always a fiesta going on somewhere in the Philippines. Fiesta Pilipinas in New Zealand will give visitors an insight into this vibrant culture.

Fiesta Pilipinas has twin objectives – to introduce Kiwis and other ethnic communities to Filipino culture and to offer Pinoys a chance to mingle with kebabayan (other Filipinos), to access information about life in New Zealand and see a showcase of products and services of Filipino companies – all under one roof.

The show will be held at the Alexandra Park Function Centre, at Greenlane West Road, Greenlane (beside the ASB Showgrounds) over the weekend of 28 and 29 April 2007 from 10am to 5pm. A bonus for visitors will be the chance to see the Auckland Migrant Expo and Job Fair, which will take place at the same time.

Each day, the fiesta kicks off with masked dancers welcoming visitors to the show. There will be on-stage cultural presentations, a fashion show, Filipino-Kiwi celebrities putting in an appearance, packaged Filipino food to take home and the chance to network. Besides booth vendors selling food and novelty items, information on businesses and services and Filipino community groups will be at the festival.

There has never been a show quite like this in New Zealand before. So please do not miss it! Bring your Kiwi friends as well, they’ll thank you for the invite.