Dapper Day, the semi-official Disneyland fan event during which park guests typically dress up in finery from days past, will hold its next event Nov. 3, but two weeks before then, Filipino Dapper Day aims to help participants and other park guests celebrate Filipino culture.
This fan-organized event, organized by Filipino Disney fan group D*Kababayan, is set to take place Sunday, Oct. 20 in Disneyland Park. Instead of clothes from different eras, participants are encouraged to wear Filipino clothes like full barongs, Filipiniana (Maria Clara) dresses, boleros, and more.
When D*Kababayan’s leadership group of about 11 people were looking for ways to bring the together the Filipino community at Disneyland two years ago, the idea of a Dapper Day on which people dressed smartly in full Filipino style and held during Filipino American History Month in October received unanimous support, and so the first Filipino Dapper Day was held in Disney California Adventure last year, said D*Kababayan Executive Director Allan Francisco.
“Filipinos are truly a proud group of people,” Francisco said. “Any reason to share our culture through food, singing, and clothing is a good enough reason for us to make an event like this happen.”
A family celebrates at 2023 Filipino Dapper Day in Disney California Adventure. (Courtesy of Xander Montes)
The schedule for Sunday’s event includes a group ride of King Arthur Carousel at 9:45 a.m., family photos at the Rivers of America 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., a group photo at 1 p.m. in front of the Rivers of America, a group ride of the Mark Twain Steamboat at 3 p.m., dinner at Tiana’s Palace at 5 p.m., and a group watch of the fireworks as viewed from Docking Bay 7 in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at 9:30 p.m. Like most fan-organized themed days, Filipino Dapper Day’s activities are free to participate in.
Magic Keyholder Justin Manalang wasn’t able to attend last year’s Filipino Dapper Day but saw pictures and knew he wanted to participate in this year’s event.
“One of the main motivations for going to the event is to not only to proudly represent my Filipino background, but to be able to increase Filipino/Filipino-American visibility since there are many more of us than the one Filipina figurine on the It’s A Small World ride,” Manalang said.
While Sunday’s event and others planned by D*Kababayan are obviously geared toward Filipinos, all are welcome to participate, Francisco said.
“Come join us, eat with us, laugh with us,” Francisco said.
D*Kababayan’s other major community event at Disneyland is Filipino Weekend at Disney. Planned for April 25-27, 2025, the weekend will include a welcome dinner with food, a live DJ, games, and prizes, a day at Disneyland with meetups, photo ops, and in-park games, and a day in Disney California Adventure with similar programming as the prior day. This event is free to participate in, though park tickets and hotels are not provided.
D*Kababayan is an offshoot of the larger nonprofit organization SoCal Filipinos, whose sponsorships and merch sales fund events like Filipino Weekend at Disney. The group is also planning its first Walt Disney World meetup, scheduled for Feb. 22 in Magic Kingdom park.
For Francisco, Sunday’s event will be about bringing people both familiar and new together to celebrate.
“The joy of seeing everyone representing their culture, the feeling of pride, and the feeling of being around our kababayan is what I’m looking forward to,” Francisco said. “It really feels like a huge family reunion. You’re just meeting your Titas, Titos, and cousins for the first time.”
