Over a Century of Filipino Song, One Chicago Afternoon: Musika SamaSama Filipino Festival 2026

This August, over a century of Filipino song finds a home in Chicago — and everyone is invited in, no cover, no catch.

Musika SamaSama Filipino Festival 2026 arrives at Eugene Field Park on August 29th with The Great Filipino Songbook Remix — a free, all-day celebration built around the music, languages, and living culture of the Filipino people. At the heart of the festival is SamaSama Project’s landmark concert, The Great Filipino Songbook — a sweeping journey through Filipino musical history voiced in the languages that have carried it across generations: Tagalog, Bisaya, Ilocano, Waray, Bicolano, and more. It is no coincidence that the festival falls during Buwan ng Wika — the Philippines’ nationwide celebration of its languages, a country with over 100 tongues spoken across its islands, each one a testament to a culture that has always found its truest expression in song.

The festival unfolds in four musical movements. Dr. Victor Asuncion and the FilAm Music Foundation open with a classical set rooted in the kundiman tradition. The program deepens into Harana, Original Pilipino Music (OPM) Now & DJ Remix — a journey from the tender romanticism of Filipino folk song to the pulse of contemporary OPM, closing with DJ Rex Balcita on the decks. Lou Ella Rose and SamaSama Project then take the stage for The Great Filipino Songbook concert — the centerpiece of the afternoon, and the live expression of the project for which SamaSama Project recently received the Chicago DCASE Individual Artist Program Grant to complete its full-length album.

The festival closes with the BahaiDeals.com Dance Crew Contest — and it is open to everyone. All dance genres, all skill levels, all backgrounds. This is not a Filipino-only stage; it is an invitation to every dancer in Chicago to engage with Filipino music and make it their own. Competing crews will build original routines incorporating Sarung Banggi — a century-old Filipino folk song reimagined by SamaSama Project and the band’s newest single, releasing just in time for the festival. A $500 cash prize awaits the winning crew.

Beyond the music, Eugene Field Park will come alive with delicious Filipino food trucks and booths, arts and crafts vendors, kids’ crafts and activities, and live music flowing throughout the entire afternoon.

Filipino culture is not a memory to be preserved behind glass — it is a living, breathing tradition that belongs to this city as much as any other. Filipino American music is Chicago music. And this August, it is yours to experience.

Eugene Field Park, 5100 N. Ridgeway Ave., Chicago, IL 60625

12:00 PM – 4:00 PM | FREE Admission | musikasamasama.com

RSVP: musikasamasama2026.eventbrite.com

Website: musikasamasama.com

Presented by: Chicago Park District

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