MAKIBAKA: Ignite the Fight, Light Up Our Legacy At 23rd Annual Parol Lantern Festival & Parade
Parade of Star-Shaped Lanterns returns to Yerba Buena Center for the Arts with Taste of Christmas, Parol Stroll, Tala Awards, and MAKIBAKA exhibition
Parol lantern (photo by John Avalos)
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.
“In these uncertain times when immigrants, LGBTQ+, transgender, working-class people and so many others live under threat, we come together to make and light our lanterns to be in community and honor our culture,” says Raquel Redondiez, Director of SOMA Pilipinas. “We sing, dance and gather not only in celebration, but in defiance of fear and isolation. Through every struggle, our people have turned pain into collective action. That is our living legacy and together we will keep it shining.”
Festival guests can enjoy the Taste of Christmas, Parol Stroll, Tala Awards, and SOMA Pilinas’ new exhibition MAKIBAKA at YBCA—all reminders to the community to keep their hope burning bright.
Parol Lantern Festival (Come Plum Photography)
History of Parol Lanterns in Filipino traditions
The parol is a traditional ornamental lantern that adorns streets, homes, malls and buildings in the Philippines during Christmas. The lanterns’ roots predate the Spanish colonization of the Philippines in the 16th century. In ancient times, the lanterns were a symbol of hospitality. Travelers who saw one hanging in a home’s open window at night knew they were welcome to seek refuge there. Under the rule and religious influence of Spain, star-shaped lanterns on bamboo poles lit the way to early morning mass. The tradition is so important in Filipino American communities that they have created parol festivals in the United States, including in San Francisco’s SOMA Pilipinas Cultural Heritage District and Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown, where they also pass on the art of parol-making through an annual Parol Parade and workshops.
Parol Making Workshops
Community members have an opportunity to make their own parol lanterns leading up to the festival at one of many Parol Making Workshops. These workshops are free, family-friendly and open to the public and take place from 12-4 PM at the YBCA Grand Lobby on the following dates. Families, groups of friends, and organizations are encouraged to attend the workshops and have their own contingency in the parade.
Saturday, November 2
Sunday, November 9
Sunday, November 16
Sunday, November 23
Thursday, December 5
Saturday, December 6 (Bayanihan Community Center)
Sunday, December 7 (Bayanihan Community Center)
Parol Lantern Festival (Come Plum Photography)
Event Details:
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St and Yerba Buena Gardens
Saturday, December 13, 2025, 3 PM to 8 PM
3-5pm Taste of Christmas and Makibaka exhibition (free to the community)
5-6pm Parol Stroll
6-7pm Tala Awards
7-8pm Dance Party
For more information visit www.parollanternfestival.com and follow @sfparollanternfest
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About SOMA Pilipinas - SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Cultural Heritage District was officially recognized by the City of San Francisco in 2016. It is dedicated to preserving and promoting Filipino culture and history, supporting community artists and cultural workers, and fostering economic development through cultural arts and community partnerships.
About Filipino American Development Foundation (FADF) - FADF exists to strengthen the social, physical, and economic well being of the Filipino American community in the San Francisco Bay Area, with special attention to San Francisco’s South of Market community.