Bacolod City is wearing its famous smile again. The MassKara Festival, one of the Philippines' best-known street celebrations, is in full swing. Its major events run from October 9 to 18, and closing and awarding ceremonies are set for October 25.
The Bacolod Gugma Foundation Inc. is organizing the festival for a second straight year. This year's theme is "Share the Smile, Celebrate Gugma." Gugma is the Hiligaynon word for love, and organizers describe the theme as an invitation to celebrate through happiness, friendship and generosity. Mayor Greg Gasataya has challenged organizers to make it a "MassKara for All," a festival that every Bacolodnon and visitor can be part of.
A festival born from hard times
MassKara began in 1980, a difficult year for Negros Occidental. Sugar prices, the backbone of the province's economy, had fallen sharply. In April that year, the sinking of the inter-island vessel MV Don Juan took the lives of many Negrenses. Local leaders and artists answered with a festival of smiles, a reminder that the people of Bacolod could stay hopeful even in a crisis.
The name combines "mass," for a crowd of people, and the Spanish "cara," for face. It also plays on "maskara," the Filipino word for mask. Over four decades, the festival has become a major driver of Bacolod's tourism, food and crafts industries, and it helped earn the city its nickname, the "City of Smiles."
What to expect
The centerpiece is the street and arena dance competition. Contingents from schools and barangays perform in elaborate costumes and the festival's trademark smiling masks, and the barangay category is traditionally the main event. The street dance parade will again run along Araneta Street before the arena competition. The arena showdown moves to a new venue this year, after organizers ruled out the Paglaum Sports Complex and the Bacolod Public Plaza, which is under renovation. The plaza will still host the awarding ceremony.
After dark, the Electric MassKara takes over, with illuminated floats, glowing costumes and music filling the streets. The festival season also brings concerts, food stalls and night-time parties along the Lacson Tourism Strip, as well as the Miss Bacolod MassKara pageant, whose candidates represent the city's barangays. This year's edition also introduced a twin-logo design and an official theme song made by local musicians.
Planning a visit
Bacolod is served by Bacolod-Silay Airport, with direct flights from Manila, and by fast ferries from Iloilo. Rooms go quickly around the final weekend, so book early. Detailed schedules, parade routes and road closures are announced by the city government and the festival organizers, so check their official pages before heading out.
Bring comfortable shoes, water and sun protection for the street events, and leave time for the food. No trip to Bacolod is complete without chicken inasal, piaya and a slice of cake from one of the city's famous bakeries.
Whether you come for the dancing, the food or the nightlife, MassKara is a chance to see Bacolod at its most joyful, and to understand why its smile is more than a mask.
