Photos: 2017 Barrio Fiesta

Posted on November 13, 2017November 21, 2025 by Staff

The UH Hilo community celebrated the richness of Filipino heritage, culture and scholarship.

Photos by Bob Douglas/UH Hilo Stories.

As part of Filipino American Heritage Month, this year’s Barrio Fiesta at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo served as the opening ceremonies of the first International Conference on Multidisciplinary Filipino Studies as the campus welcomed researchers from around the world to share and exchange ideas, research and interest of the Filipinos and the Philippines.

Conference attendees were welcomed at the fiesta on Oct. 27 with a traditional Hawaiian ceremony, followed by welcome remarks from UH Hilo Interim Chancellor Marcia Sakai and others and then cultural dances of the Philippines and modern dance performed by UH Hilo students of the Filipino Studies Program, the Bayanihan Club, and the Hilo Visayan Club.

Also highlighted was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the sisterhood of Cabugao City, Philippines and Hawaiʻi Island.

Opening ceremonies

Solo Hawaiian dancer welcomes group. — Traditional Hawaiian welcoming ceremonies started the event.

Click photos for full size.

Officials and VIPs file into venue in traditional attire.

Solo woman doing traditional Hawaiian dance and chant.

Solo man doing traditional Hawaiian hula.

Solo woman in blue doing traditional Hawaiian chant with gourd.

Solo woman doing traditional Hawaiian chant with gourd.

Solo woman doing traditional Hawaiian chant with gourd turns toward audience.

Group of three young men lead pledge of allegiance.

Members of audience do pledge of allegiance.

People at tables do pledge of allegiance.

Members of audience near tables do pledge of allegiance.

People on plaza do pledge of allegiance.

Man at mic with U.S. flag hanging on the side.

Dancers with arms in air holding swords.

Female dancers in traditional Philippine attire.

Female dancers in traditional Philippine attire, scarves over heads.

Female dancers in traditional Philippine attire, cloth at their feet.

Solo female dancer in white gown, traditional Philippine attire.

Solo female dancer seated during dance, wears white traditional Philippine attire.

Dancers casting shadows on the wall behind them.

Dancers, female lead in yellow with umbrella.

Dancers, female lead in yellow with fan.

Audience members wear traditional attire.

Two members of the audience in traditional attire.

Norman Arancon big smile as he performs on stage with mic.

Mitch Roth waves (this is a black and white photo)

Group photo, women in traditional attire.

Celebrating Barrio Fiesta with traditional and modern dance

Man and woman dance traditional dance, wearing traditional attire.

Traditional dance, woman dancing while balancing ornate headdress.

Dancers feet while doing Tinikling between bamboo.

Two dancers feet while doing Tinikling between bamboo.

Several dancers feet while doing Tinikling between bamboo.

Woman in black works the tinikling bamboo poles.

Group dance, women in white tops raise arms above head.

Man and woman dance, balancing on bench.

Traditional group dance, woman lead in sash.

Modern dance, twirling on back on floor.

Norman oints at audience while singing and dancing at mic.

Modern dance, women in black tops, men on stage singing.

Couple doing modern dance, woman in chair.

Couple doing modern dance, moving forward.

Couple doing modern dance with a slide to the right.

Couple doing modern dance with arms and legs moving.

Couple doing modern dance, he picks her up and she kicks her leg up.

Couple doing modern dance, he picks her up and twirls her around.

Couple doing modern dance with arms spread wide.

Dance finale with woman lying flat on floor.

Photos by Bob Douglas, a local artist, photographer, and sometimes part-time student who volunteers his photography skills to the Office of the Chancellor and UH Hilo Stories.

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