Coachella Valley Filipino Festival: A Celebration of Culture, Food, and Music

Interview by  Jorge Perezchica

The Coachella Valley is gearing up for an unforgettable experience as it hosts the inaugural Coachella Valley Filipino Festival (CVFF) on Sunday, October 8th, from 11 am to 5 pm at the Palm Springs Cultural Center. This historic event promises to be a day filled with the vibrant colors, flavors, and sounds of Filipino culture and heritage.

To gain deeper insights into the festival’s inception and goals, we had the privilege of speaking with Michael Milan, the chair of the committee organizing CVFF.

Coachella Magazine: Introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your background.
Michael Milan: My name is Michael Milan. I live and work in the city of Palm Springs. I’ve been here since 2014, and I currently serve as the president of the Inland Empire Chapter of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance. Also, I am the chair of the committee organizing the Coachella Valley Filipino Festival.

CM: Can you tell us about the inspiration for the Coachella Valley Filipino Festival?
MM: We had envisioned a space where people from all parts of the Coachella Valley could come and experience the most wonderful things about Filipino culture, like food and music and dance and history. And we also wanted to create a space where multiple generations of Filipinos could gather, they could get together and they could feel seen and they could feel appreciated and a sense of pride in celebrating their heritage.

There were other Filipino events that have been occurring here in the desert. There are other organizations that have met and have advanced advocacy and also pushed for greater recognition in the community. But there’s nothing that’s been done quite on this scale before, and we hope that this becomes the established event that the entire community comes together.

CM: What are some of the key highlights, attractions that attendees can look forward to at the festival?
MM: The food. I think what we are all most excited about. The costumes of the cultural groups and performers. What we’ll see on stage is also going to be wonderful to see. I think the energy of the attendees is going to be palpable and something that really feels like our Filipino population here in the desert has really been missing.

And just going by the traction that we’re seeing on social media and the responses that we’ve been receiving after people find out that this event is happening have been so overwhelmingly positive and encouraging and beautiful. I got a message from somebody saying that they wish their grandparents were still alive to see this, the Filipino community finally coming together. And for us, that’s what it’s all about.

CM: How do you see the festival contributing to the cultural diversity of the Coachella Valley?
MM: Our hope is that the diversity in the greater Palm Springs area that already exists is more easily recognized. What we hope is that the Filipino community feels seen, feels included, is recognized for their contributions to the history of this area. And as well as how important they are to the present economy and the present social scene. We hope that people feel like it’s okay to share their customs and their culture and really feel valued and celebrate it.

What we hope is that this event and its success will instill a sense of pride in our Filipino community, in particular, the young people, if they see their faces like theirs doing these great things coming together and being appreciated, it will make them feel much more comfortable in their skin.

CM: What are your hopes and expectations for the festival’s future and impact in the community?
MM: We certainly hope that this will not be the last ever Coachella Valley Filipino Festival. We envision this as an event that will be held annually, and in particular during the month of October because it’s Filipino American History Month. We, for the community, we hope that it becomes an event they’re excited about, that they know they can come to and expect to eat wonderful food, to see wonderful dance and music performances and to connect with their community and to learn something new.

For more details visit: @CVFILIPINOFEST