Golden afternoon sun washed over El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park on Sunday as the deep reverberation of Japanese taiko drums, the vivid movements of Filipino folk dancing and the dynamic energy of modern breakdancing kicked off the Asian American Neighborhood Festival.

The open air buzzed with music and color, instantly immersing visitors in a living showcase of culture.

Hosted by the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation, the annual celebration brought together performers, cultural organizations, volunteers and residents to honor the diverse traditions and historical contributions of Asian American communities. It is held at the Presidio, near historical Chinese and Japanese communities in Santa Barbara.

For Juliet Velarde Betita, a longtime festival organizer involved since its beginning, the performances were the highlight of the celebration.

“My favorite part of this event is the performers,” she said. “I really like the fact that it shows the Asian community in a broad, broad spectrum.”

Velarde Betita said the performances offered more than entertainment, providing an opportunity for visitors to connect with the cultural identities and traditions represented.

“A lot of it is really rooted in deep identities,” she said. “I’m really appreciative of the fact that this performance really showed the deep root of our ethnic identities.”

The festival, which she noted has been running for 17 years, also reflects the Trust for Historic Preservation’s commitment to honoring Santa Barbara’s local Asian American heritage.

Among this year’s performers was Lorraine Donato Twomey, a Filipino American dancer making her first appearance at the festival. Twomey performed a traditional dance from Benguet, a province in the Cordillera region of the northern Philippines, where she grew up.

The dance, traditionally associated with a celebration known as kanyao, is performed during important occasions such as weddings, anniversaries and bountiful harvests. 

Twomey noted that the dance holds deep cultural and spiritual significance and is not typically performed as casual entertainment.

“This is sacred,” she said. “We don’t usually perform, but I did because Juliet asked me to.”

According to Twomey, the movements imitate the wings of the Philippine eagle, the country’s national bird, and express gratitude for life’s blessings. She explained that the dance honors Kabunyan, a deity recognized in Indigenous traditions of the Cordillera region.

Twomey, who was born in Ventura while her father served in the U.S. Navy, later moved to the Philippines with her family after his retirement. 

“To truly know and learn their customs and traditions, you have to live there and join in their festivities,” Twomey told the audience.

For Twomey, sharing the dance offered an opportunity to introduce the people of Santa Barbara to a tradition that is rarely seen outside its community.

Beyond the performances, the festival also highlighted the history of the Asian American communities that once lived and worked in the surrounding neighborhood.

Kai Tepper Yanke, co-chair of the Asian American Affinity Group that helps organize the event, reminded attendees that the Presidio grounds were once part of Santa Barbara’s historic Japantown.

“We are gathered today at El Presidio State Historic Park, where we stand, which was home to Santa Barbara’s Nihonmachi community, or Japantown,” Yanke said.

In the early 1900s, Japanese American businesses, including boarding houses, barbershops, billiard halls and grocery stores, operated along Canon Perdido Street alongside businesses in Santa Barbara’s Chinatown.

“The Japanese Congregational Church and Asakura Hotel sat just beyond the Presidio wall,” Yanke said. “The Buddhist church sat exactly where we stand right here.”

The Buddhist congregation eventually relocated to Montecito Street.

The neighborhood’s history also reflects the disruption experienced by Japanese American families during World War II, when the federal government forcibly removed and incarcerated people of Japanese ancestry.

Attendees had the opportunity to learn about the neighborhood through a historical walking tour and exhibits featuring photographs and stories of the Chinese American and Japanese American families who once lived and operated businesses near the Presidio.

More than a century after Asian American families helped shape the surrounding neighborhood, the festival continues to honor their contributions while celebrating the traditions that remain alive in Santa Barbara today.

Carly Lindblad is a Noozhawk contributing writer and student at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta.