A festival showcasing the delights of Filipino food and culture is set to return to Belfast later this month.
The Philippine Kultura Food Festival will be held at the Duncairn Arts Centre in North Belfast on Sunday, June 25, from 11am until 4pm. On the day, those visiting can look forward to an array of food and craft vendors, an outdoor BBQ, cultural dances and Filipino musicians.
The festival's organiser is Nallaine Calvo, who set up her successful business called KUBO three years ago at the beginning of lockdown.
Read more: Filipino woman on setting up food outlet to reconnect with her roots
Moving from London to Belfast five years ago, she began to grow homesick for Filipino cooking and so decided to launch her own food outlet.
Operating as a home business before a stint at the Hill Street Hatch, KUBO is now based at Trademarket on Belfast's Dublin Road. Describing KUBO as a "food experience," Nallaine said it's all about comforting home-style Filipino dishes while educating about the unique Filipino culture through food, events and supper clubs.
The Philippine Kultura Food Festival has the same ethos as this - sharing the unique food and culture of the Philippines with a wider audience.
For Nallaine, an important aspect of KUBO is to educate on Filipino food and culture. Last July, she hosted the first Philippine Kultura Food Festival to help show off the amazing work being done by the bustling Filipino community in Northern Ireland.
Now it's returning for a second year on June 25 when there will be over 20 vendors on site at the Duncairn, including KUBO's very own Filipino BBQ outside.
Nallaine told Belfast Live: "We've been on a mission to educate about Filipino food and culture through our kamayan supper clubs but we really wanted to work with others in the Filipino community, other Filipino businesses - that is so important to us.
"There are over 3,500 Filipino people living in Northern Ireland and so many Filipino small businesses based here too so I really wanted to showcase that. The festival is a collective effort of our community to make ourselves known, to say this is who we are and what we do."
Nallaine added: "We're very excited about hosting it again after a very successful first event last year. There are so many talented Filipino artisans out there so it's a great opportunity to showcase our community through our food and culture.
"Everyone is invited to immerse yourself in an afternoon of Filipino culture, with an array of food and craft vendors, outdoor BBQs and amazing Filipino musicians and cultural dances!"
The organisers are also once again working alongside the charity Ten Foundations for the Kultura festival. The Belfast-based charity supports vulnerable children, poverty-stricken families and communities in the Philippines.
You can find out more about The Philippine Kultura Food Festival by clicking here.
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