Conferences
The FANHS conference is one of the largest community-based gatherings dedicated to Filipino American History. Chapter members from all over the nation share knowledge found in research, history, and self-discovery.
2026 FANHS Conference
SAVE THE DATE: July 22-25, 2026
PiNoise (Pinoys) on the Potomac
FANHS 2026 National Conference in Arlington, VA
CALL FOR PROPOSALS - NOW CLOSED
Check for updates regarding full theme, accommodations, & program at https://fanhs-dmv.org/
FANHS 21st Biennial National Conference
All are welcome to attend the 2026 FANHS National Conference hosted in Arlington, VA this summer: July 22-25. The Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) Conference forms a national home for students, scholars, community leaders, artists, and healers. The space opens pathways for shared research, storytelling, and cultural memory. Emerging scholars and students enter this home with new questions, new narratives, and new visions for Filipino American history.
This year’s conference is hosted by the FANHS DMV Chapter – representing the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. We will gather at Marriott Crystal Gateway, just one metro stop away from National Airport (DCA) and a short ride into Washington D.C., across the Potomac River.
Schedule-At-A-Glance
Wednesday, July 22: Pre-Conference Filipino American History Tour including the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center exhibition How Can You Forget Me: Filipino American Stories
Thursday, July 23: Welcome Plenary, Workshops, Film Screening
Friday, July 24: Workshops, FANHS Membership Meeting, Authors’ Reception
Saturday, July 25: Exhibit Hall and Marketplace, Workshops, Gala
Registration
Early-bird registration ends March 31, 2026. Your registration fee includes:
Opening Reception (Wed evening)
Conference plenaries, workshops, and membership meeting (Thurs-Sat)
Lunches and snacks (Thurs & Fri)
Authors Reception (Fri)
Entrance to the Film Screenings (Thurs & Fri)
Entrance to the Exhibit Hall and Marketplace (Sat)
Gala Reception and Banquet (Sat)
Conference App
Registration Rates available for: FANHS Members and Non-Members; Adults, Seniors, and Students; In-Person and Livestream only. Review more conference details here.
REGISTER FOR THE FANHS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Conference Activities
Plenaries and Workshops - Details on plenary and workshop presenters will be published in May. If you submitted a workshop proposal, they will be reviewed in February and you will be notified in March.
Authors’ Reception - If you have published a book, we want to spotlight your work and create an opportunity to meet your readers. If you would like to have your books in stock at the pop-up during the reception (Friday) and marketplace (Saturday), please share publication details to fanhs.dmv.42@gmail.com by May 1.
Film Screening - If you submitted a proposal to show and/or discuss a film, we will also consider it for screening on Thursday or Friday evening.
Exhibit Hall and Marketplace - We will feature Filipino American business owners and community organizations on Saturday, July 25 from 9:00AM to 2:00PM. If you would like to be featured, please complete the exhibitor option in the registration form. FANHS Chapters can set up an exhibit at no cost, please contact fanhs.dmv.42@gmail.com by June 1 to reserve a table.
Gala - We will cap off the Conference with a banquet at the hotel to pay tribute to our own monuments and make a lot of joyful PiNoise. This is a can’t miss celebration!
MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
FANHS DMV
A few weeks before the conference, America will commemorate its 250th birthday. The DMV communities hold a powerful presence shaped by nearly 200,000 Filipino Americans. Their histories help define the character of the DMV, and their stories welcome the Conference into a vibrant, living FANHS-scape. Being seen and heard – making noise – is in our blood. Thus, we gather at the nation’s capital, as Filipino Americans and members of FANHS, to reinforce that it is more important than ever to celebrate our shared struggles and shared histories and to share our vision of tomorrow.
The FANHS DMV Chapter–representing the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia–welcomes the nation to the 2026 FANHS National Conference on July 22–25, 2026.
The gathering takes place at the Marriott Crystal Gateway in Arlington, VA, just one metro stop away from National Airport (DCA) and a short ride into Washington, across the Potomac River. The city and its neighboring communities hold a powerful presence shaped by nearly 200,000 Filipino Americans. Their roots and rhythms move through schools, churches, arts spaces, federal buildings, kitchens, care centers, and front porches across the region. Their histories help define the character of the DMV, and their stories invite the conference into a vibrant, living landscape.
The FANHS conference forms a national home for students, scholars, community leaders, artists, and healers. The space opens pathways for shared research, storytelling, and cultural memory. Emerging scholars and students enter this home with new questions, new narratives, and new visions for Filipino American history.
Conference Theme: PiNoise in the Potomac: Monuments to Change
PiNoise merges “Pinoy” and “noise” and is pronounced “pi-noise.” It was originally used in 1998 as the name of an annual Filipino pop music festival in San Francisco. We are using it now to say that we are gathering to make noise. And Filipino traditions have many examples of what that sounds like–not only in music, but in laughter, story-telling, and ritual. We are making noise as Filipino Americans and FANHS, here–in the nation’s capital for the first time–and now, recognizing the moment we are in as a nation.
Monuments to Change is a nod to the landscape around us. But it also recognizes how Filipino Americans have remade American history. Monuments literally cement dominant narratives in place, narratives that extol American heroism at the expense of Filipinos. But through scholarship, organizing and community action, we have successfully changed monuments and added new layers of meaning. Each effort opens space for fuller histories and deeper understanding.
Schedule
Wednesday, July 22: Pre-Conference Filipino American History Tour
Thursday, July 23: Registration, Welcome Plenary, and Workshop
Friday, July 24: Workshops, FANHS Membership Meeting
Saturday, July 25: Workshops, Market Place, and Gala
To propose a workshop, please complete the Call for Proposals by January 15, 2026.
Hotel
Marriott Crystal Gateway
1700 Richmond Highway
Arlington, VA 22202
Conference Rate: $189
Make your Reservation
Conference registration opens in February 2026.
Past FANHS Conferences
2024 – Houston, Texas
2022 – Seattle, Washington
2020 – Honolulu, HI – Cancelled
2018 – Chicago, Illinois
2016 – New York, New York
2014 – San Diego, California
2012 – Albuquerque, New Mexico
2010 – Seattle, Washington
2008 – Anchorage, Alaska
2006 – Honolulu, Hawaii
2004 – St. Louis, Missouri
2002 – Los Angeles, California
2000 – Virginia Beach, Virginia
1998 – Manila, Philippines
1998 – Portland, Oregon
1996 – New York, New York
1994 – San Francisco, California
1992 – Chicago, Illinois
1990 – Sacramento, California
1988 – New Orleans, Louisiana
1987 – Seattle, Washington