Walled City of Manila hosts Anthology from 2 to 4 October

The Walled City of Manila hosts Anthology in October, with installations, talks and forums spread across historic venues from 2 to 4 October 2026.

Anthology ASEAN Architecture Festival takes place at the Walled City of Manila from 2 to 4 October 2026, turning historic venues across Manila into settings for talks, installations and public forums. The programme uses the walled district as a place to discuss architecture, heritage and public life in the Philippines.

Anthology brings three days of debate to Manila

Organised by WTA Architecture & Design Studio with the City of Manila, the Intramuros Administration and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the festival is built around the theme Shared Ground: Architecture of Care, Culture, and Collective Futures. The event is open to the public and brings together architects, designers, students, educators, communities and cultural workers.

The three-day schedule gives each date a separate focus. The 2 October programme examines Care, 3 October explores Culture, and 4 October addresses Collective Futures. The official festival dates and venue place the event in Intramuros, Manila, from noon on 2 October until 7pm on 4 October.

The programme includes Anthology Talks, Shelter Dialogues, Anthology RAW open critique sessions, Ground Works installations and After Dark forums. The event listing names Foro de Intramuros, Centro de Turismo, Teatrillo Casa Manila, Plaza de Roma, the Bamboo Gardens and the Pasig River Esplanade among the festival locations.

Historic Manila district becomes part of the programme

The festival's setting is a walled historic district in Manila rather than a single conference hall. Talks, installations and roundtables are spread across streets, courtyards, plazas and cultural venues, so the built surroundings form part of the subject under discussion.

Ground Works is described as a thematic installation exhibition at Plaza de Roma, the Pasig River Esplanade and the Bamboo Gardens. The Living Anthology exhibition is at Centro de Turismo on the second floor and includes a 27m linear Loom recording the festival's developing discussions. This places questions about memory, access and public space beside the physical structures they address.

The programme also includes ten Filipino and ASEAN collaborations, 14 cross-cultural conversations and an open platform for emerging work and research. A report in Philstar's festival preview says 128 speakers are due to take part, with Shigeru Ban opening the programme and Ole Scheeren closing it.

Visitors encounter installations beside heritage sites

For travellers, the significant change is not a new building but a temporary programme distributed through an existing heritage district. The festival's public elements place architecture discussions and installations alongside named sites including Casa Manila, Foro de Intramuros and Plaza de Roma.

The Living Anthology exhibition is scheduled to remain on view until December at Centro de Turismo, extending the festival's exhibition element beyond the three main dates. The official programme also identifies the Manila Cathedral and General Luna Street as points on its festival map, although individual activities vary by venue.

Visiting Walled City of Manila: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Anthology ASEAN Architecture Festival runs from 2 to 4 October 2026 at venues across Intramuros in Manila.
• Visitors will find installations, talks, forums and exhibitions rather than one central event space; listed venues include Foro de Intramuros, Casa Manila and Plaza de Roma.
• The Living Anthology exhibition is at Centro de Turismo 2F and is scheduled to continue until December.
• The programme uses historic streets, courtyards and plazas, so visits involve moving between separate venues within the walled district.
• The Philippines has Filipino and English as official languages, and its national currency is the Philippine peso.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Walled City of Manila

When does Anthology ASEAN Architecture Festival take place at the Walled City of Manila?

It runs from 2 to 4 October 2026 across venues in Manila's walled district.

What is the Walled City of Manila?

It is a historic walled district in Manila that provides the setting for Anthology's talks, installations, forums and exhibitions from 2 to 4 October 2026.

Where is the Walled City of Manila and how do you get there?

The festival takes place in Intramuros, Manila, with named venues including Foro de Intramuros, Casa Manila, Centro de Turismo and Plaza de Roma.