FiliFest CIC continued to grow and flourish in the financial year August 2023 to August 2024. Rooted in its mission to connect and empower the Filipino community in the UK, particularly among young Filipinos and Filipino-owned businesses, FiliFest once again delivered a range of impactful events and initiatives that celebrated Filipino culture, strengthened community bonds, and amplified youth voices. Throughout the year, FiliFest extended support to several Filipino Society-led initiatives that brought together students from across the UK. We provided financial sponsorship to FilSoc Sports UK’s basketball tournaments held in November 2023 and April 2024, as well as to the Surrey Sportsfest in April 2024. We also contributed to the FilSoc Gala in February 2024 through targeted social media promotion. These events collectively engaged around 20 Filipino university societies and played a vital role in fostering inter-university collaboration and cultural pride through sport and celebration. In an effort to promote Filipino cuisine and cultural expression, FiliFest launched the Filipino Food Cooking Challenge, a video campaign featuring both modern and traditional Filipino dishes. This creative project highlighted the richness of our culinary heritage while making it accessible to broader audiences and encouraging participation from the community. FiliFest also participated in wider cultural events, strengthening our presence beyond the university setting. In July 2024, we proudly took part in Barrio Fiesta UK, organised by TFC, where we represented Filipino youth in the community parade. At MCM Comic Con 2024, we showcased traditional Filipino street games, engaging a diverse and international crowd while celebrating the unique aspects of our heritage in a modern context. Expanding into digital spaces, we supported the Filipino gaming community by partnering with RazerStore for a Valorant Spike Rush tournament. This event brought together 50 participants and spectators and was livestreamed on FiliFest TV, our official YouTube channel, further building our presence as a hub for youth-led initiatives. As part of our annual festival preparations, we launched the 2024 Design Competition, offering Filipino artists an opportunity to contribute creatively to our festival branding. We also began promoting Filipino-owned businesses as part of our sponsor engagement. However, despite strong early momentum, we were unable to proceed with the festival due to unforeseen political challenges, including a Gaza encampment at our planned venue and racial tensions across the UK during the summer. These circumstances made it unsafe to host a large-scale event. Nevertheless, we successfully delivered our first-ever FiliFest Games in June 2024, in partnership with Brunel University. Celebrating Filipino favourites such as basketball, volleyball, and badminton, the event featured teams from 17 universities: Cardiff Met, East London, Hertfordshire, Anglia Ruskin, Birmingham, Kent, St Mary’s, Oxford Brookes, Nottingham Trent, Cardiff, Essex, Westminster, Reading, Portsmouth, Kingston, Brunel, and Greenwich. Around 200 spectators attended the event, which also featured business showcases from Filipino and community-driven brands including Pinoy Grill, Pinoy Eat, CutbyKishan, School of Kapwa, TransferGo, Apoy, and TFC’s London Barrio Fiesta. Despite the challenges faced this year, FiliFest CIC remained resilient. 2023–2024 was marked by strong community engagement, enhanced cultural visibility, and the continued empowerment of Filipino youth across the UK. As we move forward, we remain committed to celebrating Filipino identity and fostering unity, creativity, and pride within our growing community.

FiliFest CIC’s primary stakeholders continue to be the Filipino university societies across the UK. At the beginning of the academic year, we update our internal records to reflect which UK universities have active Filipino Societies and establish connections with them. While our community is based largely in the UK, we also maintain communication with Filipino university associations beyond the UK when relevant. Throughout the year, we maintained strong and consistent engagement with these societies by involving them in both digital and in-person events. Communication was carried out regularly via Instagram and email, with meetings and informal consultations held to gather feedback and ensure that their voices helped shape events, especially our major plans such as the annual festival and new initiatives like FiliFest Games. Stakeholders were encouraged to take part in event planning, promotion, and volunteering. This hands-on involvement allowed societies to feel ownership over the projects and ensured our events reflected the needs and interests of the wider Filipino student community. We also leveraged social media, particularly Instagram, to engage with the broader community. Through Q&A stickers, polls, and open calls for messages and comments, we encouraged feedback and interaction. These digital touchpoints helped us better understand the community’s preferences and expectations. We used this insight to refine our programming and continue delivering relevant, youth-led experiences. Our social platforms remain one of our most effective tools for consultation and engagement, particularly given our community’s digital fluency.

No remuneration was received

No transfer of assets other than for full consideration