FilAm ARTS traces its roots to the production of the Annual Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture (FPAC) first conceptualized in 1990 as part of the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department’s Festivals Program, an arts program designed to address the multicultural constituency of the city.

Organized by about 100 artists and community leaders, the first FPAC took place at Los Angeles City College on Mother’s Day, May 14, 1992, where 3,000 participants braved the aftermath of the L.A. riots that occurred the week before. Since then, FPAC has only grown stronger and bigger, moving to Cabrillo Beach in 1994, then finally to its current location, Pt. Fermin Park, in the historic district of San Pedro in 2001.