Candice Fajardo, the 32-year-old owner of B2B (Business 2 Business) Promotions, which staged the event, estimated day-long attendance was about 10,000. "It took us a year to plan it and we've been going full blast since November," Fajardo, a Maryknoll graduate, said of the event, which featured 58 vendors and a star-filled roster of popular Filipino entertainers.

The theme of "Together We Are One" worked well as there was something for everyone, young and old. The crowd came from all parts of the island and beyond, mostly as a family.

"It's nice, something special I wouldn't see at home even though we have many Filipinos," said 72-year-old Onofre Catbagan of Calgary, Alberta, who is here visiting his daughter, Liliha resident Ginalynn Marpa.

A cheering throng surrounded the Kapi'olani Park Bandstand stage for most of the day's live entertainment. As Los Angeles-based singer Lalaine raised the energy level of young fans near the stage, two older women sitting in the back rows were tapping their feet.

Arthur and Adrienne Senining of Waikiki enjoy the entertainment at the Filipino-American Festival at Kapi'olani Park. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Dadel Umali, 12, likens the popularity of Agustin, Ochoa and Hermosa to American fans of her generation getting a chance to see Chad Michael Murray of "A Cinderella Story" and WB's "Gilmore Girls" fame. To Gloria Gaon, 42, of 'Ewa, who keeps up with the trio of drama and action film stars through Filipino programming on cable television, said Agustin, Ochoa and Hermosa are as big in the Philippines as Tom Cruise is in America.

"Asian artists have a strong Asian following, very devoted and supportive of them during the tough times of trying to break into the mainstream," said Nancy Bernal, who lined up the entertainment for the festival which included more than 15 acts and a fashion show. Others who performed included Jordan Segundo, Omni, Tani Lynn and Broadway Babies.

But the day was also about eating pansit, lumpia or sinigang sour pork soup, shopping and kicking back.

"I got here, got my halo-halo, which is like a dessert, and everything was all right from there," said Jacqueline Galon, 18, daughter of Gloria Gaon, who became an American citizen in 2003. "An event like this makes you feel proud, super proud, about your heritage and culture."

Honolulu singer Jordan Segundo, a participant in the second season of "American Idol," sings for the crowd at the Filipino-American Festival. An estimated 10,000 people attended yesterday's event. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

In between hands of pusoy, a Filipino poker game played with 13 cards, Malabanan said the festival presents a good opportunity for his two daughters, ages 16 and 13, and son, 14, to see Filipino culture practiced outside their home.

Malabanan, who is an Army private stationed in Hawai'i, served in Iraq last year. The native of San Mateo, Calif., and his wife, Chely, speak Tagalog and English at home and try to preserve native traditions. "Attitudes and behaviors are different," Malabanan said of Filipino and Western cultures.

In Filipino culture, for example, respect for elders is shown through the mano po greeting, in which a younger person grabs the extended hand of an older person and touches it with a bowed forehead, said Malabanan. His wife has taught their daughters to prepare dishes such as adobo and lumpia. "But it's good for them to see things, hear people speak the native language, in this kind of setting," he said.

T-shirt vendor Fel Sepada's Epitome logo appears over recently rediscovered Filipino writing, which resembles Japanese kanji. "It got lost when the Spaniards took over the Philippines but it's being studied a lot in California," Sepada said.

Among the most popular T-shirts being sold yesterday was one asking "Who's Your Tatay," meaning "daddy." "They like humor," Sepada said.

The festival will be back, according to promoter Fajardo and her marketing assistant, 24-year-old Farrington High grad Michell Basilio. They plan next year to have celebrities from the Philippines performing. "We didn't have time to get working visas this year," Basilio said.