CITEM revives performing arts fest to prime local industry for greater growth

After empowering the local performing arts industry through its capacity-building sessions over the past two years, CREATEPhilippines x Manila International Performing Arts Market (MIPAM) comes back bigger and better, ready to boost the country’s global profile as a hub of top-notch performing artists. 

Organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), CREATEPhilippines x MIPAM 2026 promises to be the platform dedicated to the promotion, exchange, and internationalization of the Philippine performing arts sector. It will be more than just a vibrant gala, however. With the theme “Showcasing Asia to the World,” the festival will also serve as a trade-driven marketplace that brings together local and international artists, producers, presenters, cultural institutions, and sector enablers to generate leads and business opportunities for performing artists. 

CREATEPhilippines x MIPAM 2026 will happen from Sept. 11 to 13 at the Likhang Filipino Exhibition Halls and the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez at the CCP. It is co-presented by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Fostering a stronger performing arts ecosystem

The festival has been carefully designed to open new pathways for artistic exchange, collaboration, and development. While most events that celebrate the performing arts typically engage with specific segments of the industry (artists, industry partners, and the general public), CITEM envisions CREATEPhilippines x MIPAM 2026 as the bridge where these segments can meet and have substantial interactions. It will feature a dynamic program with the following components intended to fulfill complementary purposes: cultivating connections, sharing knowledge, building capacities, facilitating business deals, and, of course, celebrating the excellence of the Philippine performing arts industry.

The Market, which will be set up at both Likhang Filipino and Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez, is intended to be a space where arts and culture organizations can showcase their productions, products, and services to festival attendees, as well as directly engage with partners.

Business-to-business (B2B) meetings, organized by CREATEPhilippines, will have artists and performing groups sitting down with promoters, presenters, programmers, producers, and other industry partners to explore partnerships, deals, and collaborations. These one-on-one meetings will also be held at both festival venues.

Performing artists and companies can propose ideas, projects, or creative works to funders, curators, producers, and other decision-makers at the festival’s content pitching sessions, to be held exclusively at Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez. 

There will also be networking activities at Likhang Filipino where artists/performing groups, programmers, promoters, and presenters can connect, exchange ideas, and share resources.

Likhang Filipino will be the venue as well for the festival’s Artists’ Symposium, which will have key sector leaders offering industry updates and sharing their best practices, and the more intimate Creative Huddles where artists can network, exchange ideas, and share their respective creative journeys. 

The Business Access Center, likewise to be located at Likhang Filipino, will be where artists can find resources on how to empower their creative businesses, from pricing and taxation guidelines to developing client pitches.

Of course, embodying Filipino excellence and serving as the heart of the event will be the showcases and presentations featuring performances from participating artists and Jam Sessions led by Philippine National Performing Arts Companies. To be held at both Likhang Filipino and Tanghalang Ignacio Gomez, these spectacles will be open to the public to enjoy. 

Interested artists, performing arts groups, and industry partners (promoters, curators, programmers, producers, production designers, venue managers, and other sector enablers) are invited to participate and enjoy the benefits offered by these activities. They can register as an exhibitor to take part in the performances, knowledge sessions, and capacity-building activities. 

Meanwhile, businesses and organizations looking to join the B2B program and collaborate with the lineup of exhibiting artists and performing arts industry enablers can register as delegates. Find more information on the festival’s official website.

“Through CREATEPhilippines x MIPAM 2026, we hope to gather and engage with the different players of the performing arts ecosystem so that together, we can discover and forge opportunities that will elevate the global profile of Philippine performing arts,” CITEM Executive Director Leah Pulido Ocampo says. “Filipino talent and creativity have long been recognized as world-class. Therefore, we must endeavor to help our artists transform their creative passions into a solid foundation for a sustainable career. That way, we ensure the continued evolution of Filipino arts and culture.”

Preparing for a bigger role in the Asian performing arts scene

Although the Philippines’ theater and performing arts industry is projected to reach US$260.52 million in 2026, per Statista, it is still a relatively small contributor to the broader Asian market, which is expected to generate US$15.9 billion this year. 

By applying the theme “Showcasing Asia to the World,” CREATEPhilippines X MIPAM 2026 hopes to signal the country’s readiness to reconnect with the other performing arts communities in the region and take on a more significant role—plus all the economic benefits that come with it—in its growth. Positioning itself as part of the Asian region’s sizable global presence can help the local performing arts industry have bigger access to opportunities for artistic exchange, touring, co-production, and international collaborations, which are integral to its sustainability.

Connecting Filipino creative talent to the world

Since its launch in 2019, CREATEPhilippines x MIPAM has had its eye on cultivating a more business-savvy performing arts sector. 

From 2024 to 2025, it organized “Navigating the Tour Circuit,” a capacity-building initiative that taught Filipino creatives how to develop their skills in product management, branding, marketing, pitching, licensing, and more. Through the program’s two phases, which organized both virtual and face-to-face learning sessions, hundreds of local artists from different sectors of the industry and from across the country picked up valuable information and actionable insights on the integration of sound business practices into their creative careers. “Navigating the Tour Circuit” culminated with Sonik Sessions 2025, a series of panel and roundtable discussions about the music industry that also allowed attendees to mingle with players from the local and global music scenes.

In line with its vision to strengthen the performing arts ecosystem through synergistic development, CREATEPhilippines x MIPAM 2026 will also serve as the confluence of other major cultural events in September. Its collocated events are the SONIK Conference and Showcase Festival, organized by SONIK Philippines and also powered by CREATEPhilippines, to be held on Sept. 10 to 12; and the 2026 Federation Asia Cultural Promotion (FACP) Manila Conference, happening on Sept. 9 to 12. 

Through its return, CREATEPhilippines x MIPAM will now be a major part of the annual Philippine Creative Industries Month’s holistic calendar.

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Be part of the event that marks the next stage of growth for the Philippine performing arts industry! Register as an exhibiting artist/performing arts company or as a delegate for CREATEPhilippines x MIPAM 2026 through its official website. For more information, email the CREATEPhilippines Secretariat at [email protected].

CREATEPhilippines is the country's first government-led content and community platform for the local creative industries. A program organized by CITEM, it is the ultimate resource for stories and updates on the Philippines' creative community and a centralized directory and sourcing platform where Filipino creatives can share their portfolios and engage with a global audience.