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National Arts Month: 10 events happening in Manila this February
National Arts Month is here!
There are a number of celebrations happening in Manila this month, ranging from performances to tours to art markets. All looks poised to be thrilling adventures for everybody.
The National Commission of Culture and the Arts (NCCA) will officially open the month on February 1 at the Rizal Park Open Air Auditorium by showcasing seven art forms with the Parada ng mga Sining at 4pm.
The concert program at 6 p.m. will feature a mix of rituals, regional traditions, music, dance, contemporary performance, fashion, and spoken word, reflecting indigenous roots, national identity, and modern creative expression.
UST Salinggawi, UST Singers, Guiguiteno Dance Troupe, Echague Tribal performers, the Philippine Ballet Theater, and Monica Amanda Gana will perform.
From then, the month is peppered with art and culture events. Below are 10!
1. NCCA's Art FriDates
The Art FriDates is a weekly platform for artists and cultural workers to showcase their creativity through performances, exhibitions, and workshops.
Art FriDates will take place on all Fridays of February and the first Friday of March at the Blackbox Theater, Likhang Pilipino Complex, CITEM, World Trade Center, Pasay. Six government units from across the country will join and present.
Admission is free. The open house starts at 2 p.m. with the performances at 4 p.m.
2. National Museum tours
The National Museum of Fine Arts has exciting tours lined up all this month to celebrate the Neoclassical icon that is the Old Legislative Building that houses the museum.
The tours will take place at 10:30 a.m. every Sunday starting February 1. It is free and open to the first 35 walk-in registrants.
3. Art Fair Philippines, February 6 to 8
Art Fair Philippines is happening again but in a new venue—Circuit Makati, a hub for arts and culture.
The 2026 edition brings together leading galleries from across the Philippines alongside exhibitors from France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Spain.
The ArtFairPH/Projects section is an annual exhibit curated by the organizers, featuring artists who deserve to be highlighted.
This year, there are 10 artists in the section, with Imelda Cajipe Endaya leading the lineup.
She is focused on the contemporary social realities especially from the point of view of women empowerment. She is known for her mixed media works, which incorporate objects from daily life. ArtFairPH/Projects will focus on her various printmaking.
The annual Art Fair Philippines is happening this February 6 to 8, Friday to Sunday, at the Circuit Corporate Center One, Circuit Makati. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The fair will take over an empty building, from the sixth to 11th floors. Tickets are priced at P750 and are available at the fifth-floor reception area, and are also available online.
4. Luneta Art Fair, February 7 to 8
The Luneta Art Fair is back this year!
The annual event focuses on traditional and non-traditional art by up-and-coming artists who display and sell their pieces. The event also features live art, workshops, performances, and more.
According to organizers Puesto Manila, this will be the biggest Luneta Art Fair yet, with double the number of participants than last year.
Luneta Art Fair will also stage their first ever Open Gallery, a showcase from a diverse set of artists.
The Luneta Art Fair is happening at the Noli Me Tangere Garden, Rizal Park on February 7 to 8. Admission is free.
5. Pasinaya, February 7 to 8
The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), in partnership with the NCCA, is holding its annual Pasinaya Open House Festival.
Dubbed the country’s largest multi-arts festival, it will be held across various venues: CCP Complex, Aliw Theater, Metropolitan Theater, Rizal Park, and Circuit Makati, as well as Tagum City, Province of Capiz, and Iloilo City.
There will be Palabas (shows), Palihan (workshops), Palitan (networking), Paseo Museo (museum walkthroughs), Pamilihan (markets), and the debut of Paligsahan (contests).
The Pasinaya Open House Festival happens on February 7 and 8. Pasinaya follows a pay-what-you-can, participate-all-you-can concept for the activities.
6. Taralets: A Pop-Out Arts Market, February 7 to 8
Hub Make Lab is bringing the Escolta energy to Makati for a weekend.
Taralets: A Pop-Out Arts Market, will feature the crafty merchants of Hub Make Lab at an art market in Circuit Makati.
Taralets: A Pop-Out Arts Market is happening on February 7 and 8. More details are yet to be revealed.
7. Alt Art, February 13 to 15
Alt Art is back and it's remaining true to its ethos of showcasing diverse art forms and artists.
The fair has been teasing its Alt Project Spaces, or “engaging, bold, and provocative artistic propositions that further expand the initiative’s curatorial scope and frame Philippine contemporary art within local and global discourse,” the organization said on Instagram.
Among the featured artists include Christina Quisumbing Ramilo, Buen Calubayan, Raffy Napay, MM Yu, KoloWn, and Christina Lopez.
Alt Art is happening on February 13 to 15 at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City.
8. Hearts and Crafts at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, February 14
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with creative activities at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila.
Hearts and Crafts is a paper workshop where participants can experiment with their Valentine’s Day cards through pop-ups, collage, shaping, and tearing led by paper artist April Capalungan (APRL).
Hearts and Crafts is open to couples, friends, and families.
The workshop will be at 1 p.m. for couples and 4 p.m. for groups. Slots are open for P3,000 and can be reserved through metmuseum.helixpay.ph/categories/programs
9. Patrons of the Arts, February 14 and February 21 to 22
Rising art market Patrons of the Arts is set to hold two exciting events this arts month.
First is Love and Lust and Boys Club happening on Valentine’s Day, February 14. The market will follow the theme of queer love.
The second event, Hayop at Halaman, will be on February 21 to 22, and promises to be a celebration of art, nature, plants, and life.
Both Patrons of the Arts events will be held at Centris Elements, Quezon City. Entrance is P100.
10. Komiket, February 28 to March 1
Komiket, another arts and comics market, will hold its first event of the year this arts month.
Komiket QC: The Filipino Komiks Art Market will bring together rising artists on a journey of comics and art.
It’s happening on February 28 to March 1 at Centris Elements, Quezon City. Entrance is P100, available onsite or online via Ticket2Me.
— LA, GMA Integrated News
