UC Santa Barbara’s Kapatirang Pilipino chapter collaborated with Isla Vista Small Artists Cooperative on Oct. 10 to celebrate Filipino American History Month by hosting a Filipino market. 

Kapatirang Pilipino chapter collaborated with Isla Vista Small Artists Cooperative on the event to celebrate Filipinx American History Month. Kyla Chambers / Daily Nexus

Titled “Barrio Fiesta,” the event was held at the Isla Vista Community Center (IVCC), where vendors sold clothes, art and essential oils. Around 50 attendees could be seen browsing, chatting and watching live music performed by Maiya Mendoza, stage name Mai, a Filipinx singer-songwriter. 

Kapatirang Pilipino (KP) is one of the largest Asian student organizations on campus, with over 200 members, according to Ruby Novero, a third-year film and media studies major and KP’s chairperson. In addition to cultural events, the organization also promotes social activities and mentorship programs for its members. 

Novero expressed the importance of creating spaces for Filipino cultural representation at UCSB and of sharing those spaces with the local community. 

“We just wanted to, you know, shed light on our creatives here and give them that space where they feel represented,” Novero explained.

KP also worked with the Isla Vista Small Artists Cooperative, which assisted in securing vendors for the event’s guests. Although KP has held similar markets in the past, they had never reached the scale of Friday’s Barrio Fiesta. 

Novero said that she felt the event was “a big stepping stone” for KP, and hopes to continue holding Filipino market events.

“We’ve done marketplaces in the past but nothing to this extent — nothing this big — so I think this is really great,” Novero said.

The I.V. Small Artists Co-op assisted in securing vendors who sold items including clothes, art and essential oils. Kyla Chambers / Daily Nexus

According to KP treasurer and second-year actuarial science major Jaimie Mendoza, KP worked in collaboration with IVCC in distributing information about the event, with a focus on digital ads, flyers and word of mouth. Organizers said they were excited about the turnout. 

Mai took over for the DJ at around 5 p.m., having traveled from the San Fernando Valley, and was accompanied onstage simply by their guitar, microphone and an amplifier. She had heard of the event through one of her bandmates, who is a student at UCSB and thought Mai may have an interest in performing at the market as a Filipinx American. 

The band Clever Girl plays both covers and original material for a variety of audiences. Mai explained in an interview that she takes inspiration from a range of artists, citing Rufus Wainwright and Chappell Roan while describing her process in constructing lyrics that reflect her identity as a lesbian Filipinx. Their songs explore themes around romance and finding one’s place in their sexual identity. 

The musician expressed interest in playing community events, having performed at a similar show at California State University, Northridge. Although Mai has grown up in Filipino communities in the Los Angeles area and plays shows in the Historic Filipinotown of Los Angeles, or Hi-Fi, she expressed her desire to discover more queer Filipino spaces. 

“I’m gonna see people there who look like me and who can celebrate the same culture as me, which I think is super cool,” Mai said. 

Mai expressed her joy in attending Filipinx gatherings, and has played shows in the Historic Filipinotown in Los Angeles. Kyla Chambers / Daily Nexus

A version of this article appeared on p. 3 of the Oct. 16, 2025 print edition of the Daily Nexus.