The event will mark the first time a large Philippine festival has been held in Montgomery County, said Augustus Alzona, press relations officer for the Montgomery county Philippine American Association.

"For the last several years, the SportsFest and picnic have been held in Oxon Hill," he said. "This is the first time in the over 20-year history of the festival that we're holding the event in Montgomery County."

According to the 2000 census, there are 7,393 Filipino Americans in the county. The largest concentration -- more than 1,200 -- live in Gaithersburg and Germantown. By holding the festival in Gaithersburg, it gives the local Filipino community a chance to come together, he said.

The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The day will feature basketball and volleyball tournaments, said Lovette Rosales Lantos, the SportsFest coordinator. Eight basketball teams will take to the courts of the Activity Center of Bohrer Park, while 28 volleyball teams will play on a makeshift volleyball court on the soccer fields outside.

"We have teams coming from all over the region ... we even have one basketball team coming from Delaware," Lantos said. "Prizes for basketball will be trophies and T-shirts; for volleyball they will be trophies and volleyball apparel."

A potluck community picnic will also be held, with various Filipino-American community groups bringing food for their members.

"A traditional Filipino family picnic features a lot of people bring traditional foods to share with the other people in their community," Alzona said. "This picnic will be a lot like that."

For picnic attendees who are not part of a community group, vendors will be on hand, selling traditional Filipino foods. Traditional foods include pancit -- rice noodles with vegetables and chicken -- and lumpia -- meat filled egg rolls. Admission is free.

Alzona estimates up to 5,000 people could attend the festival.