Year 28 and counting: Fiesta in America continues to bring the biggest Phil Expo in the East Coast
By Marivir Montebon
New York - Fiesta in America (FIA) is quite a household word for Filipino Americans here in the East Coast. Now a 28-year-old tradition, this huge Philippine cultural festival brings the best of Philippine culture: that indomitable spirit of fun, music, and food.
FIA happens in the summer month of August. For this year it will be on August 17 and 18. It means fun for gregarious Filipinos, and promotional platform for Filipino entrepreneurs in the US and the Philippines. It is held at the second largest mall in America, the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
FIA in 2023. Now a traditional gathering of family and friends in the East Coast.
Fiesta in America, definitely a time for children and family. (Photo by Catalina Suerte)
During this two-day fun fare, Filipinos experience the simulation of the fiestas that they love in the Philippines: food, music, visual arts, clothes, games for children and adults, business network, everything. Of course, this extends an amazing ripple effect to non-Filipinos who are drawn to enjoy the festivities.
Nothing could have hit the Filipino psyche as precisely as Fiesta in America did. Behind this tradition is Fernando ‘Nanding’ Mendez and his team of dedicated staff and volunteers.
Founder and CEO, Fernando Mendez
Mendez, a visual artist by heart, hatched the idea of the Fiesta in 1996 together with his late wife, Mila. It was a brilliant dream that enticed nostalgic Filipinos to buy into the joy that Philippine fiestas bring.
But his idea meant a bold undertaking so that the vision could become a reality. For the Mendezes, the energy requirement for mounting Fiesta in America every year is simply enormous. It takes grit and guts and innovative prowess to push things through.
Mendez is cut out for this big responsibility. He breathes through all these, like a masterful maestro of his full orchestra. A graduate of Fine Arts majoring in Advertising from the University of Sto. Tomas, his achievements in graphic arts, painting, and advertising gave birth to Fiesta in America.
When his wife Mila passed away in 2016, he had to carry on with Fiesta in America with a more courageous spirit.
Beat the heat with Philippine ice cream. (Photo by Atty. Beth Cueva)
Fiesta had over 2,500 paid workers, welcomed 260,000 guests, and engaged with over 600 sponsors and exhibitors. It has become a hub for Filipino talents and a reunion venue for Filipinos in various states and abroad.
The Jacob Javits Convention Center was Fiesta’s first home in 1996. It moved to the New York Coliseum in 1997. From 1998 to 2019, it was staged at the Secaucus International Convention Center. In 2022, right after the pandemic, Fiesta in America found a home at the American Dream Mall. Indeed, this largest and oldest Philippine exposition in the US makes Filipinos feel at home.
Mendez’s devotion of promoting Philippine culture and commerce in the US every year is remarkable. And it is quite an act of faith and dedication to elevate Filipinos in America. #
(Admission is free. For exhibitors, visit gophilippines.com or www.fiestainamerica.com.)
