A celebration of culture and care: the UP Diliman Arts and Culture Festival 2026

Titled “From Memory to Legacy”, the capacity-building seminar, which ran from February 19 to 20, empowered student organisations to preserve their collective histories through inclusive and sustainable archiving practices. Also on February 20, the College of Fine Arts hosted a vital seminar titled “Caring for People and Collections”, aimed at building the community’s capacity in art handling, collections management and upholding the welfare of arts workers. The UP Voice and Music Theatre Guild staged its “Laya’t Kalinga: Mga Himig ng Bayan (Freedom and Care: Melodies of the Nation)” on February 20 and 21, a concert that celebrated the depth of Filipino artistry through kundiman, sarswela and opera excerpts. Lastly, scholars from Western Visayas launched their two-part KASANAG Arts and Culture Talks 2026 series, discussing the region’s cultural memory, indigenous knowledge systems, and contemporary artistic practices.

Read more: A legend reborn: ‘Tales of the Manuvu’ makes for a triumphant return

There is still plenty to experience at UP Diliman. Here’s a rundown of the events you can catch this week:

Abueva Ikotour will have its final run on February 23. Don’t miss this to have more insights into Abueva’s legacy works scattered throughout the campus. Running from February 23 to 27 at the UP College of Music Dance Studio and IBG-KAL is the intensive week-long programme, titled “Encore & Inquiry: The UP Dance Ensemble Exchange”, which reunites premier university dance groups for movement exchanges, collaborative creation and professional workshops. From February 23 to 28, the Asian Institute of Tourism will host a “slice of life” photography exhibition celebrating the diverse individuals—from students to vendors and joggers—who share the university’s open spaces. The show is titled Sulyap: Images Fostering Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity in UP Diliman. Meanwhile, catch the sophomore iteration of the workshop series for wellness and inclusion, titled “Express to Destress”, on February 24, 25 and 27, as it features hands-on art activities like paper quilling and soap carving, and a Human Library event to foster relaxation and self-expression.

On February 24, the UP College of Music Mini Hall invites everyone to enjoy the Gitara at Awit Para sa Lahat (Guitar and Song for Everyone), an inclusive community project that will culminate in a grand musical performance. It features medleys of OPM, protest songs and folk music, performed collectively by staff, faculty, students, campus vendors and local residents. On February 26, an academic conference will be held at the GT-Toyota Asian Centre Auditorium titled “Intersecting Horizons: Flows and Encounters in Philippine Borderlands”, which will explore cultural encounters, transnational flows and hybrid societies within the Philippines’ northern and southern borderlands. 

On February 27, join in the Ultimate Library Hop, a gamified campus exploration showcasing how libraries create impactful opportunities through a lecture, an art therapy session and a book club meeting at the Environmental and Energy Engineering Building. On the same day, the benefit concert titled Liwayway: Pagsilay ng Liwanag (Dawn: The Break of Light) is happening at the GT-Toyota Asian Centre Auditorium, aimed to raise funds for the Abot-Kayang Tanghalian ministry, which provides heavily subsidised meals to low-income students. Lastly, on February 27 and 28, witness once again the ballet masterpiece Tales of the Manuvu, a Filipino rock-opera ballet that masterfully fuses the Manobo creation myth with rock music and classical ballet. Note that the Himigsikan sa Maginhawa, the annual concert on Maginhawa Street featuring local OPM artists and known to be a safe space for celebrating diverse gender identities, music and social advocacy, has been moved to March 2026.

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