10111 Bellamy Hill Rd NW, Edmonton
This hotel was one of the prime gathering locations in the early 1970s, when the Filipino community was in the midst of development. For example, the first election of the Philippine Bayanihan Association in Alberta (PBAA) was held in one of the banquet rooms of this hotel. Many Filipino bands used to play in the bar and lounge area of this hotel, attracting many of the young Filipino Edmontonians to gather here on weekends.
Music is a very important part of the Filipino culture. Even today, modern nightclubs in the Philippines and celebrations in larger Filipino settlements around the world prefer to feature live bands over pre-recorded music. Culturally, Filipinos prefer to celebrate not only the music, but singing as well as dancing. Musical preferences of the early Filipino community in Alberta was influenced by the United States strong presence on the islands from 1898 until 1946, where they introduced American blues, folk music, and rock and roll. However, some of the earlier Spanish influences are still evident as Filipinos also prefer music for dancing, commonly doing ballroom dances such as the cha-cha, tango and rhumba.
Era: The Post-War Years
Themes:
Sports, Leisure & Entertainment
Cultural Groups:
Filipino
Area:
Central