Some people tend to think of SF’s South of Market neighborhood as a personality-less stretch of the city lined with high-rise condos and sprawling warehouses, plus AT&T Park and SFMOMA. But in reality, behind those tech-fueled skyscrapers, there is a rich cultural heritage.
For more than a century, Filipinos have called SOMA home and continue to do so today. In fact, they make up more than 30 percent of the population in the neighborhood and have witnessed enormous change in recent decades.
The local Filipino community has long worked hard to preserve and educate people about their heritage, with events like the annual Pistahan Parade and Festival, a two-day event in August to celebrate the “Filipino spirit,” and the Parol Lantern Festival, a yuletide tradition in December. The most recent event: Undiscovered SF, a monthly creative night market that started last year and will return this Saturday. It will run on the third Saturday of every month through October 21.
Last year’s event attracted roughly 35,000 visitors over the course of its four-installment run. This year’s night market will be bigger and better, now located in the historic Mint behind the offices of the San Francisco Chronicle at 411 Minna Street. Admission is free.
The event is one of the latest projects taken up after the city’s Board of Supervisors designated in 2016 SOMA Pilipinas as a new cultural district, running from Second to 11th Streets, between Market and Brannan. Residents of the district have made overarching efforts to preserve their historical landmarks — such as the murals and monuments found in Union Square that nod to the lives lost in the Battle of Manila Bay — throughout SOMA while safeguarding the community itself from displacement resulting from gentrification, in addition to creating this new urban market.
“The market takes the best of Filipino American culture — food, music, dance, art, craft and activism — and rolls it up in an event that’s Outside Lands meets Off the Grid meets the West Coast Craft fair for all to enjoy for free,” said Desi Danganan, who’s currently leading the strategy for the economic development of SOMA Pilipinas and a resident of the neighborhood himself. “It’s a one-of-a-kind showcase of culture and community that can only be found in San Francisco.”
The event will feature DJs, singer-songwriters and other musical talents on the main stage as well as a flower lounge, live art, innovative retail concepts such as Bayani Art and neighborhood businesses. One of the stars of the show will be the cuisine — you’ll have your pick from morsels from FK Frozen Custard, Jeepney Guy and Binka Bites. And yes, you can quench your thirst in three fully stocked bars.
“I live on the edge of a cultural district, which shoulders the Design District’s glimmering new condos and the denizens of techies,” Danganan said. “Often it seems my neighbors are sheltered from the outside world, with Ubers and Postmates cars lining our streets and their ears plugged with headphones. It can be awkward to strike up a conversation.”
But just a 15-minute walk to Danganan’s work on Mission Street at 6th in the middle of SOMA Pilipinas, he’ll see kids going to Bessie Carmichael Elementary School, seniors on their morning walks, leather daddies walking their dogs, a few unplugged friends to say hey to, murals lining walls and the very visible “down and out” trying to make ends meet in SF.
“Living in SOMA Pilipinas is a tale of many cities,” said Danganan. But San Francisco has always been a tale of many cities, which is reason enough why the city’s Historic Preservation Commission passed legislation back in 2012 to designate social and cultural heritage sites, creating SF cultural districts, from the Bay Bridge to Battery Beach. And while the Mission District’s Calle 24 and the newly founded SOMA Leather District often get the most attention, SOMA Pilipinas is the one to watch.
Much like every other SF cultural district, SOMA Pilipinas exists as a way to preserve heritage, the population, institutions, cultural centers and businesses. Undiscovered SF is just part of the plan — places like the Bindlestiff Studio, the only dedicated Filipino American performance space in the country, and Arkipelago Books, one of just two Filipino American bookstores in the United States, showcase the multifaceted nature of SF’s SOMA-residing Filipino community.
In addition, community landmarks such as the Lip Ni Lapu Lapu mural depicting Filipino unity, and the Dewey Monument, a long-standing ode to admiral George Dewey to commemorate his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay, continue to showcase the culture’s contribution to San Francisco, specifically after the Spanish-American War.
“At the end of the day,” Desi said, “living in SOMA Pilipinas is encountering the best of a cultured San Francisco, circa 2018.”
For more information on Undiscovered SF, including a list of on-site workshops, ticket information and how you can become a performer or vendor yourself, visit undiscoveredsf.com before the inaugural happening on July 21.
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