Nonprofit VivaManila is an arts-and-culture organisation run by passionate locals who are on a mission to revive downtown Manila to its pre-war glory through a diverse combination of hipster initiatives, community building and art. It organises weekend cultural events in Intramuros roughly every month, including fantastic mini-festivals of music and art on the leafy grounds of Baluarte de San Diego.
VivaManila runs Manila Transitio, a unique festival dedicated to the memory of WWII, and Open City, a two-week celebration of the arts on the streets of Intramuros in February, modelled on the Venice Biennale.
It also organises walking tours, street fairs, and urban design festivals in collaboration with art and design groups like 98B COLLaboratory (www.98-b.org). Their website and Facebook page are a good source of information on music festivals, block parties, arthouse cinema premieres and gallery openings in Old Manila.
