Mabuhay Canada will launch its first Jeepney Festival in Belleville on Sept. 25 and 26, bringing Filipino culture to the wider Quinte region through a two-day celebration at Maranatha Church.
The free, ticketed indoor festival will run from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday and noon to 8 p.m. Saturday at 100 College St. West.
It marks the first festival organized by Mabuhay Canada, a Filipino-Canadian digital media organization founded in 2022.
For Mabuhay Canada founder and festival organizer Yona Harvey, the event represents an expansion of the organization’s work from telling Filipino-Canadian stories online to bringing communities together in person.
“Jeepney Festival is an opportunity for Filipinos to celebrate their heritage while inviting the wider community to discover the richness and diversity of the Philippines,” Harvey said.
That exchange is central to the festival, which is designed to give Filipino families a space to celebrate their culture while welcoming people who may be experiencing it for the first time.
“We want people to feel welcome, learn something new and leave with a stronger sense of connection.”
The festival is inspired by the Philippines’ colourful jeepneys, a familiar form of public transportation known for carrying passengers from different walks of life along shared routes.
Under the theme “A Journey Through the Philippines: One Jeepney Ride at a Time,” the organizer is using that idea to create an event where Filipino and non-Filipino visitors can experience different aspects of the country and its culture in one place.
The festival will open Friday evening with an art exhibition featuring works by the Philippine Artists Group of Canada.
The evening will also include a screening of Outsiderness by Filipino filmmaker Carlo Alcos, where the film explores identity, culture and belonging.
These are themes that also run through the festival’s broader programming.
Saturday will expand the celebration with performances, food vendors, a community marketplace and activities throughout the day.
Culture Philippines of Ontario will present Filipino cultural dances, while Filipino singers and dancers will perform alongside local Belleville artists.
Little Miss Philippines Kingston winner Tiara Brynn Malubay will also present her talent show presentation, an Igorot dance.
Visitors will also have opportunities to participate rather than simply watch.
Traditional Filipino games, a parol-making workshop, Zumba, karaoke and a pandesal-eating contest are among the activities planned.
Other parts of the festival will focus on Filipino history and storytelling.
Members of Salaysay Collective will take part in a Filipino authors roundtable, while a Baybayin calligraphy demonstration will introduce visitors to one of the writing systems used in parts of the Philippines before Spanish colonization.
The demonstration will allow attendees to see how Baybayin characters are written while learning about the script’s cultural significance and its renewed interest among Filipinos reconnecting with their history and identity.
The festival will also make room for conversations about the experiences of newcomers in Canada.
The Quinte Local Immigration Partnership will lead an immigration presentation focusing on newcomer services for immigrants in the region.
Choosing Belleville for Mabuhay Canada’s first festival also connects the event to Harvey’s previous community work in the city.
Before organizing Jeepney Festival, Harvey helped promote Belleville’s former Waterfront Multicultural Festival and bring Filipino food and cultural performances to local audiences.
For Mabuhay Canada, the event also represents a new way of carrying out the organization’s goal of connecting Filipinos across Canada while introducing their stories and culture to wider audiences.
Like the public transportation that inspired its name, the festival hopes it can bring people from different backgrounds together for a shared experience.
Admission is free, but tickets are required. Registration is available through Mabuhay Canada’s website.
Luis Miguel De Castro is a Changing Narratives Fund-Local Journalism Initiative reporter at Mabuhay Canada and a journalism graduate at Humber Polytechnic in Toronto. Originally from the Philippines, he is passionate about community storytelling, multimedia journalism, and amplifying Filipino voices through meaningful local coverage.
