Visitors to the Embassy’s booth feast their eyes on the stunning cultural diversity of the Filipino people. Photo by Stacy Garcia

03 June 2019 LONDON—The Philippine Embassy in London and the Department of Tourism participated in the first FiliFest at University College London on 01 June through a thematic booth aimed at introducing the Philippines to Britons and non-Filipinos.

FiliFest is a festival celebrating Filipino culture and was organised by the different Filipino student organisations in the United Kingdom (UK) led by the UCL Filipino Student Society.

During the one-day event, the Embassy mounted an exhibition called Meet the Filipinos which showcased 60 portraits representing indigenous and ethnolinguistic communities in the Philippines, interracial groups, and notable Filipinos who have shaped Philippine history. In addition to this, the Embassy also set up a reading nook where visitors can freely browse curated titles from the recently established Sentro Rizal London Library.

The Department of Tourism, on the other hand, inspired visitors with backpacking and gap year ideas in the Philippines.

“The Embassy is proud to support the efforts of our diaspora community in promoting Philippine culture and heritage in the UK,” said Ambassador Antonio M. Lagdameo. “We hope that through events like FiliFest, more people will be inspired to learn more about the Philippines.”

“I have never been to the Philippines before and I don’t know much about the country but this event has made me want to know more about it. I had no idea there are plenty of Filipinos in the UK,” said Paul, a British student who attended FiliFest.

FiliFest showcased various Filipino brands and featured a range of Filipino talents from all over the UK. The event gathered more than 500 visitors, majority are university-age students. END