Masskara Festival Schedule of Activities
Contents
Masskara Festival is perhaps one of the longest festivals in the country today, being held for the entire month of October.
The world-renowned Masskara Festival started during the crisis in Negros in -1980. Negros Occidental having sugar cane as its primary produce, suffered during its all-time crisis due to the introduction of sugar substitutes in the world market. During that time, M/V Don Juan, carrying many Negrenses, sank with an estimated loss of 700 lives.
Amid this difficulty, the local government and civic groups, with the active participation of Bacolod Artists, came up with the idea of putting a festival of smiles. Therefore, the first staging of the Masskara Festival was a statement that no matter how difficult the times were, Bacolod City would surely survive and rise above any crisis.
Masskara, which came from 2 words Mass (Many) and Kara ( the Spanish word for face), means many smiling faces. Masskara is a happy Festival. Manifested in the colorful costumes and smiling masks used by the dancers during the competition and in the numerous festival’s happy events. The Masskara is no doubt one of the festivals in the country which you should experience.
Bacolod City is a peaceful city with fun-loving people. Each guest is welcomed with a warm smile (Bacolod City is known as the City of Smile) and hospitality that is truly Bacolodnon.
Below are pieces of information aimed at helping you make your visit to the Masskara Festival fun and memorable.
The official Schedule of Activities is yet to be released. So please bookmark this page as we will update this page as soon as Bacolod City releases the updates. But if you want to book your hotel now, the highlights will be held on the 4th weekend of October (official).
Meanwhile, here are the links:
Masskara Schedule of Activities
Schedule of Activities + Food Trip Guide
8 Things to Do During Masskara
STREET DANCING AND ARENA DANCE COMPETITION
Street dancing happens during the fourth weekend of October. As the city has already declared, this will be the permanent schedule of the highlights. The street dance competition for the School Category will be held on Saturday of that fourth weekend, while the Open Category will be held on Sunday.
MASSKARA FESTIVAL COSTUME AND MASK EXHIBIT
The current Festival Costume is displayed at Robinsons Place, Bacolod City, where the Best in Costume selection is held. It would be great to visit the exhibit to see the intricacy of the costumes, the details of the masks, and the humongous headdresses of each competing group for the year.
ELECTRIC MASSKARA FESTIVAL DANCE PARADE
The Electric Masskara is a unique component of the festival. It is held during nighttime and is usually held along Lacson Street. In this event, you will see masskara dancers in their lighted Masskara Costumes and masks.
ENDLESS PARTIES
Bacolodnons love to party. During the festival, street parties are held all around the city. Just Lacson Street alone can already satisfy your party craving. Along this street, several parties sponsored by various companies are regulated.
SEARCH FOR MASSKARA FESTIVAL QUEEN
The search for the festival queen is one event you should visit while visiting the City of Smile.
I’m sure that most travelers would want to maximize their visit to the City of Smiles, especially for first-timers. Of course, with the price of your airfare, you would wish to of course to get the most out of this trip. This 2017 Negros Occidental is the 2nd most visited place by domestic tourists according to Tourism statistics. So you might also want to discover why many people visit this part of the country.
The Street Dancing and Arena Dance Competition happens during the weekend (Saturday and Sunday). I suggest allotting three or more days to discover more about Bacolod City and Negros Occidental.
Below are some articles which will surely help you plan your trip:
3-Day Bacolod Travel Guide, which Includes Itinerary and Budget
WITHIN BACOLOD CITY
In a nutshell, here are the 12 Things to do in Bacolod City
If you want to see the festival’s highlights, you can visit between Masskara Activities some of the must-visit places and experience Bacolod City culture.
Visit the Ruins. This place is technically located in the City of Talisay. However, you can visit this place during the morning because the Street Dancing and Arena Dance Competition starts at lunchtime. Just take a taxi to bring you to the place.
Contact Details:
Address: Talisay City, Negros Occidental
Phone: 0917 832 6003
“Paint Your Own Mask” Activity at Jojo Vito Designs Gallery. See how Bacolod Mask is being made, or paint your mask. The gallery is located at the heart of the city, and you can reach this place through jeepneys, or since your time is limited, take a taxi. You can tell the driver of the landmarks: The place is located at the back of the Metrodome and Chicken Haus (South). It is near Planta Hotel)
The place offers an array of Giant Masks displays and loads of original mask-related souvenirs ranging from magnets, wearable masks, home furnishings, and more. The place is just a walking distance from the Cyber Center (old Paglaum Sports Complex), the venue for the Arena Dance Competition.
Blog Post about the Place:
Paint Your Mask
Contact Details:
#119 Kapitana Dicang-Alunan Avenue, Bacolod City Telephone: (034) 704-2376
If your time allows, try to visit any of the following places:
Sipalay, The Hidden Jewel of Negros. This place has beautiful beaches, fantastic dive sites, and much more.
Lakawon Island Resort. One of the places in Negros Occidental as of this writing and frequented by locals and tourists from other places.
Campuestohan Highland Resort. A mountain resort with a theme park ambiance. Kids will surely love this place.
Mambukal Mountain Resort. Experience nature just an hour away from the city proper. The place has waterfalls, an ice-cold swimming pool, a boating lagoon, and much more.
Visit Bago City’s Tourist Attraction. Bago City has many beautiful spots you can visit and enjoy.
Sagay City. Just an hour away from Bacolod City, you will reach this quiet city with its beautiful attractions like the Carbin Reef.
Silay City. Known as the Paris of Negros Occidental, the place has beautiful heritage houses that speak about the culture and history of the place. They also have foodie destinations just within the city proper.
Attending the Masskara Festival is also an opportunity to sample Bacolod’s cuisine. Here are the places to go to.
Bacolod loves to eat. This is manifested in the number of restaurants around the city offering various delicacies.
Here are some of our recommendations:
Bar 21. It is very easy to locate because it is situated along Lacson Street.
Rau Ram Cafe– They serve authentic Vietnamese Cuisine and their price is very budget-friendly.
Tyrol Restaurant – This place offers German and Austrian Cuisine.
Seafood. If you want to try fresh catch, you can try any of these popular Seafood Restaurants in Bacolod City: 18 St Palapala; Adings; aboy’s, Imay’s, Scarborough
Have you heard of Bacolod’s famed Kansi? Do visit any of these restaurants: Bones and Belly, Sharyn’s
Quan Delicacies. The place is serving native delicacies at its best. Try their cassava pudding, Cuchinta, sapin sapin, palitaw, and more.
Negros Occidental is the sugar bowl of the Philippines. It’s no wonder why this city has several cakes and pastry shops that tourists frequent. So, when in Bacolod City, drop by and experience the “sweetness” of a Negrense through our cakes and pastries offered by Cs by L Fisher, Felicias, and Calea.
These three are facing each other, and all are found along Lacson Street right within the L Fisher Hotel.
Bacolod does love to eat, so here’s a LIST OF RESTAURANTS IN BACOLOD CITY
If you attend the Masskara Festival, you must bring some souvenirs. Here are the places you can buy Bacolod’s bests.
Best of Negros Products at The Negros Showroom.
The Negro’s Showroom showcases the best of Negros Products. Named as the best trade house by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). Their beautiful products range from Local Souvenirs, Masks, T-shirts, Housewares, Furniture and furniture, Food, Natural and organic, fashion, and much more. They have a branch at the Robinsons Place Bacolod City and SM City-Bacolod City.
Masks and Masskara Souvenirs by Jojo Vito Designs Gallery.
This Gallery offers original designs of Masskara-related souvenirs. Just make sure to bring home authentic Bacolod-made souvenirs. Other souvenirs sold in the streets are made in China or just repainted souvenirs from other festivals in the country.
Bacolod Delicacies.
Bacolod-Silay Airport Departure Area. Suppose you wish to buy some delicacies but don’t have the time to visit any establishment. You can buy Bacolod delicacies like Piaya, Barquillos, etc., at the airport departure area. Merzci Bread and Pastries usually offer a 10% discount for any guests. Just present your ticket or boarding pass. Their price? It’s just the same as with their other outlets.
Interested in witnessing the Masskara Festival? Here’s how to get to Bacolod City.
By Air
Bacolod City is less than an hour’s flight from the Philippines’ capital, Metro Manila. And merely 30 minutes from Cebu City. Various airline companies are serving the Bacolod-Silay Airport. An Air-conditioned van is servicing the airport to Bacolod City. It can drop you to the nearest point of your destination in Bacolod City for only P150/person.
By Bus
Take the Ceres Bus from Dumaguete City, which will reach Bacolod for a 4-5 hour ride. Just take a taxi from Ceres Terminal in Bacolod to your hotel.
Proceed to the North Terminal from Cebu City and take a Ceres Bus bound for Bacolod City.
Here’s the schedule for these buses:
By Sea
From Manila, 2Go Travel is sailing Manila-Bacolod on the following schedule:
From Iloilo City, you can take several Fast Crafts with the following Schedule:
How to Get to Bacolod City Fast Craft Schedule
If you can, choose the hotel along Lacson Street or the nearest to this place because most nighttime activities are held there. Hotels in Lacson Street are as follows: L Fisher Hotel, Avenue Suites, Seda Hotel (soon to open, not sure if they can open during the Masskara Festival), Metro Inn, and Bacolod Executive Inn.
It is best to book your hotel early; Masskara season is fast approaching, and many travelers book their hotels as early as February.
Here’s the List of Hotels in Bacolod City.
BOOK A ROOM IN BACOLOD CITY TO GET THE BEST DEAL
Masskara Festival Schedule of Activities
Masskara Festival is perhaps one of the longest festivals in the country today being held for the entire month of October.
The world-renowned Masskara Festival started during the period of crisis in Negros in -1980. Negros Occidental having sugar cane as its main produce suffered during those times its all-time crisis due to the introduction of sugar substitutes in the world market. It was also during that time wherein M/V Don Juan carrying many Negrenses sank with an estimated loss of 700 lives.
In the midst of this difficulty, the local government, and civic groups with the active participation of Bacolod Artists came up with the idea of putting a festival of smiles. The first staging of the Masskara Festival, therefore, was a statement that no matter how difficult the times were, Bacolod City will surely survive and rise above any crisis.
Masskara which came from 2 words Mass (Many) and Kara ( the Spanish word for face) means a multitude of smiling faces. Obviously, Masskara is a happy Festival. Manifested in the colorful costumes and smiling masks used by the dancers during the competition, and in the numerous festival’s happy events. The Masskara is no doubt one of the festivals in the country which you should experience.
Bacolod City is basically a peaceful city with fun-loving people. Each guest is welcomed with a warm smile (Bacolod City is known as the City of Smile) and hospitality that is truly Bacolodnon.
Below are pieces of information aimed at helping you make your visit to the Masskara Festival fun and memorable.
The official Schedule of Activities is yet to be released. So bookmark this page as we will update this page as soon as Bacolod City will release the updates. But if you wanted to book your hotel now, the highlights will be held on the 4th weekend of October (official).
Meanwhile, here are the links:
Masskara Schedule of Activities
Masskara Festival Schedule of Activities + Food Trip Guide
8 Things to do During Masskara
The street dancing happens during the 4th weekend of October. This will already be the permanent schedule of the highlights as declared by the city. The Saturday for that 4th weekend will be for the street dance competition for the School Category while the Sunday is for the Open Category.
A display of the current Festival Costume is made on Display at Robinsons Place, Bacolod City. This is where the Best in Costume selection is being held. It would be great to visit the exhibit to see up close the intricacy of the costumes, the details of the masks, and the humongous headdresses of each competing group for the year.
The Electric Masskara is a unique component of the festival. It is held during nighttime and is usually held along Lacson Street. In this event, you will see masskara dancers in their lighted Masskara Costumes and masks.
Bacolodnons love to party. During the festival, street parties are held all around the city. Just Lacson Street alone can already satisfy your party craving. Along this street, several parties sponsored by various companies are held.
The search for the festival queen is one event that you should visit while visiting the City of Smile.
I’m sure that most travelers would want to maximize their visit to the City of Smiles, especially for first-timers. Of course, with the price of your airfare, you would want of course to get the most of this trip. This 2017 Negros Occidental is the 2nd most visited place by domestic tourists according to Tourism statistics. So you might want as well to discover why many people visit this part of the country.
The Street Dancing and Arena Dance Competition happens during the weekend (Saturday and Sunday). I suggest allotting 3 or more days to discover more about Bacolod City and Negros Occidental.
Below are some articles which will surely help you plan your trip:
3-Day Bacolod Travel Guide which Includes Itinerary and Budget
WITHIN BACOLOD CITY
In a nutshell, here’re the 12 Things to do in Bacolod City
If you just want to see the highlights of the festival, you can visit in between Masskara Activities some of the must-visit places and experience Bacolod City culture.
Visit the Ruins. This place is technically located in the City of Talisay. However, you can visit this place during the morning because the Street Dancing and Arena Dance Competition starts at lunchtime. Just take a taxi to bring you to the place.
Contact Details:
Address: Talisay City, Negros Occidental
Phone: 0917 832 6003
“Paint Your Own Mask” Activity at Jojo Vito Designs Gallery. See how Bacolod Mask is being made or paint your own mask. The gallery is located at the heart of the city and you can reach this place through jeepneys or since your time is limited, take a taxi. You can tell the driver of the landmarks: The place is located at the back of Metrodome and Chicken Haus (South). It is near Planta Hotel)
The place offers an array of Giant Masks Display and loads of original mask-related souvenirs ranging from magnets, wearable masks, home furnishings, and more. The place is just a walking distance of the Cyber Center (old Paglaum Sports Complex), the venue for the Arena Dance Competition.
Blog Post about the Place:
Paint Your Own Mask
Things to do at Jojo Vito Designs Gallery
Contact Details:
#119 Kapitana Dicang-Alunan Avenue, Bacolod City Telephone: (034) 704-2376
Website: www.jojovito.com
FB Page: @JojoVitoDesignsGallery
if your time would allow, try to visit any of the following places:
Sipalay, The Hidden Jewel of Negros. This place has beautiful beaches, amazing dive sites, and a lot more.
Lakawon Island Resort. One of the places in Negros Occidental as of this writing and frequented by both locals and tourists from other places.
Campuestohan Highland Resort. A mountain resort with a theme park ambiance. Kids will surely love this place.
Mambukal Mountain Resort. Experience nature just an hour away from the city proper. The place has waterfalls, an ice-cold water swimming pool, a lagoon for boating, and a lot more.
Visit Bago City’s Tourist Attraction. Bago City is just loaded with many beautiful spots that you can visit and enjoy.
Sagay City. Just an hour away from Bacolod City, you will reach this quiet city with its beautiful attraction like the Carbin Reef.
Silay City. Known as the Paris of Negros Occidental, the place has beautiful heritage houses that speak about the culture and history of the place. They also have foodie destinations just within the city proper.
Attending the Masskara Festival is also an opportunity to sample Bacolod’s cuisine. here are the places to go to.
Bacolod loves to eat. This is manifested in the number of restaurants located around the city offering various delicacies.
Here are some of our recommendations:
Bar 21. Very easy to locate because this is situated along Lacson Street.
Rau Ram Cafe– They serve authentic Vietnamese Cuisines and their price is very budget-friendly.
Tyrol Restaurant – This place offers German and Austrian Cuisine.
Seafood. If you want to try fresh catch you can try any of these popular Seafood Restaurants in Bacolod City: 18 St Palapala; Adings; Aboy’s, Imay’s, Scarborough
Have you heard of Bacolod’s famed Kansi? Do visit any of these restaurants: Bones and Belly, Sharyn’s
Quan Delicacies. The place is serving native delicacies at their best. Try their cassava pudding, Cuchinta, sapin sapin, palitaw, and a lot more.
Negros Occidental is the sugar bowl of the Philippines. It’s no wonder why this city has several cakes and pastry shops which are frequented by tourists. So when in Bacolod City, do drop by and experience the “sweetness” of a Negrense through our cakes and pastries offered by Cs by L Fisher, Felicias, and Calea.
These three are facing each other and all are found along Lacson Street right within the location of the L Fisher Hotel.
Bacolod does love to eat, so here’s a LIST OF RESTAURANTS IN BACOLOD CITY
If you will attend the Masskara Festival, for sure you would want to bring some souvenirs. Here are the places you can buy Bacolod’s bests.
The Negro’s Showroom showcases the best of Negros Products. Named as the best trade house by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). Their beautiful products range from Local Souvenirs, Masks, T-Shirts, Housewares, Furniture and Furnishing, Food, Natural and organic, fashion and much more. They have a branch at the Robinsons Place Bacolod City and SM City-Bacolod City.
This Gallery offers original designs of Masskara-related souvenirs. Just make sure to bring home authentic Bacolod-made souvenirs. Other souvenirs sold in the streets are made in China or just repainted souvenirs from other festivals in the country.
Bacolod-Silay Airport Departure Area. If you wish to buy some delicacies but don’t have the time to visit any establishment, you can simply buy Bacolod delicacies like Piaya, Barquillos, etc. at the airport departure area. Merzci Bread and Pastries usually offer a 10% discount for any guests. Just present your ticket or boarding pass. Their price? It’s just the same as with their other outlets.
Interested to witness Masskara Festival? Here’s how to get to Bacolod City.
By Air
Bacolod City is less than an hour’s flight from the Philippines’ capital, Metro Manila. And merely 30 minutes from Cebu City. Various airline companies are serving the Bacolod-Silay Airport. An Air-conditioned van is servicing the airport to Bacolod City. It can drop you to the nearest point of your destination in Bacolod City for only P150/person.
By Bus
From Dumaguete City, take the Ceres Bus and it will reach Bacolod for a 4-5 hour ride. Just take a taxi from Ceres Terminal in Bacolod to your hotel.
From Cebu City, proceed to the North Terminal and take a Ceres Bus bound for Bacolod City.
Here’s the schedule for these buses:
By Sea
From Manila 2Go Travel is sailing Manila-Bacolod on the following schedule:
From Iloilo City, you can take several Fast Crafts with the following Schedule:
How to Get to Bacolod City Fast Craft Schedule
If you can, choose the hotel along Lacson Street or nearest to this place, because most of the activities during nighttime are held in this place. Hotels in Lacson Street are as follows: L Fisher Hotel, Avenue Suites, Seda Hotel (soon to open, not sure if they can open during the Masskara Festival), Metro Inn, and Bacolod Executive Inn.
It is best to book your hotel early, Masskara season is fast approaching and many travelers booked their hotels as early as February.
Here’s the List of Hotels in Bacolod City.
Masskara Festival Schedule of Activities
Masskara Festival is perhaps one of the longest festival in the country today being held for the entire month of October.
The world-renowned Masskara Festival started in the period of crisis in Negros -1980. Negros Occidental having sugar cane as its main produce suffered during those times its all-time crisis due to the introduction of sugar substitutes in the world market. It was also during that time wherein M/V Don Juan carrying many Negrenses sank with an estimated loss of 700 lives.
In the midst of this difficulty, the local government, civic groups with the active participation of Bacolod Artists came up with an idea of putting a festival of smiles. The first staging of the Masskara Festival, therefore, was a statement that no matter how difficult the times were, Bacolod City will surely survive and rise above any crisis.
Masskara which came from 2 words Mass (Many) and Kara ( the Spanish word for face) means a multitude of smiling faces. Obviously, Masskara is a happy Festival. Manifested in the colorful costumes and smiling masks used by the dancers during the competition, and in the numerous festival’s happy events. The Masskara is no doubt one of the festivals in the country which you should experience.
Bacolod City is basically a peaceful city with fun-loving people. Each guest is welcomed with a warm smile (Bacolod City is known as the City of Smile) and hospitality that is truly Bacolodnon.
Below are pieces of information aimed at helping you make your visit to Masskara Festival fun and memorable.
The official Schedule of Activities is yet to be released. So bookmark this page as we will update this page as soon as Bacolod City will release the updates. But if you wanted to book your hotel now, the highlights will be held on the 4th weekend of October (official).
Meanwhile, here are the links:
Masskara Schedule of Activities
Masskara Festival Schedule of Activities + Food Trip Guide
8 Things to do During Masskara
The street dancing happens during the 4th weekend of October. This will already be the permanent schedule of the highlights as declared by the city. The Saturday for that 4th weekend will be for the street dance competition for the School Category while the Sunday is for the Open Category.
A display of the current Festival Costume is made on Display at Robinsons Place, Bacolod City. This is where the Best in Costume selection is being held. It would be great to visit the exhibit to see up close the intricacy of the costumes, the details of the masks and humongous headdresses of each competing group for the year.
The Electric Masskara is a unique component of the festival. It is held during night time and usually held along Lacson Street. In this event, you will see masskara dancers in their lighted Masskara Costumes and masks.
Bacolodnons love to party. During the festival, street parties are held all around the city. Just Lacson Street alone can already satisfy your party craving. Along this street, several parties sponsored by various companies are held.
The search for the festival queen is one event that you should visit while visiting the City of Smile.
I’m sure that most travelers would want to maximize their visit to the City of Smiles, especially for first-timers. Of course, with the price of your airfare, you would want of course to get the most of this trip. This 2017 Negros Occidental is the 2nd most visited place by the domestic tourists according to Tourism statistics. So you might want as well to discover why many people visit this part of the country.
The Street Dancing and Arena Dance Competition happen during the weekend (Saturday and Sunday). I suggest allotting 3 or more days to discover more about Bacolod City and Negros Occidental.
Below are some articles which will surely help you plan your trip:
3-Day Bacolod Travel Guide which Includes Itinerary and Budget
WITHIN BACOLOD CITY
In a nutshell, here’re the 12 Things to do in Bacolod City
If you just want to see the highlights of the festival, you can visit in between Masskara Activities some of the must-visit places and experience Bacolod City culture.
Visit the Ruins. This place is technically located in the City of Talisay. However, you can visit this place during the morning because the Street Dancing and Arena Dance Competition starts at lunchtime. Just take a taxi to bring you to the place.
Contact Details:
Address: Talisay City, Negros Occidental
Phone: 0917 832 6003
“Paint Your Own Mask” Activity at Jojo Vito Designs Gallery. See how Bacolod Mask is being made or paint your own mask. The gallery is located at the heart of the city and you can reach this place through jeepneys or since your time is limited, take the taxi. You can tell the driver of the landmarks: The place is located at the back of Metrodome and Chicken Haus (South). It is near Planta Hotel)
The place offers an array of Giant Masks Display and loads of original mask related souvenirs ranging from magnets, wearable masks, home furnishings and more. The place is just a walking distance from the Cyber Center (old Paglaum Sports Complex), the venue for the Arena Dance Competition.
Blog Post about the Place:
Paint Your Own Mask
Things to do at Jojo Vito Designs Gallery
Contact Details:
#119 Kapitana Dicang-Alunan Avenue, Bacolod City Telephone: (034) 704-2376
Website: www.jojovito.com
FB Page: @JojoVitoDesignsGallery
if your time would allow, try to visit any of the following places:
Sipalay, The Hidden Jewel of Negros. This place has beautiful beaches, amazing dive sites and a lot more.
Lakawon Island Resort. One of the most places in Negros Occidental as of this writing and frequented by both locals and tourists from other places.
Campuestohan Highland Resort. A mountain resort with theme park ambiance. Kids will surely love this place.
Mambukal Mountain Resort. Experience nature just an hour away from the city proper. The place has waterfalls, an ice-cold water swimming pool, a lagoon for boating and a lot more.
Visit Bago City’s Tourist Attraction. Bago City is just loaded with many beautiful spots that you can visit and enjoy.
Sagay City. Just an hour away from Bacolod City, you will reach this quiet city with its beautiful attraction like the Carbin Reef.
Silay City. Known as the Paris of Negros Occidental, the place has beautiful heritage houses that speak about the culture and history of the place. They also have foodie destination just within the city proper.
Attending the Masskara Festival is also an opportunity to sample Bacolod’s cuisine. here are the places to go to.
Bacolod loves to eat. This is manifested in the number of restaurants located around the city offering various delicacies.
Here are some of our recommendations:
Bar 21. Very easy to locate because this is situated along Lacson Street.
Rau Ram Cafe– They serve authentic Vietnamese Cuisines and their price is very budget-friendly.
Tyrol Restaurant – This place offers German and Austrian Cuisine.
Seafood. If you want to try fresh catch you can try any of these popular Seafood Restaurants in Bacolod City: 18 St Palapala; Adings; Aboy’s, Imay’s, Scarborough
Have you heard of Bacolod’s famed Kansi? Do visit any of these restaurants: Bones and Belly, Sharyn’s
Quan Delicacies. The place is serving native delicacies at its best. Try their cassava pudding, Cuchinta, sapin sapin, palitaw, and a lot more.
Negros Occidental is the sugar bowl of the Philippines. It’s no wonder why this city has several cakes and pastry shops which are frequented by the tourists. So when in Bacolod City, do drop by and experience the “sweetness” of a Negrense though our cakes and pastries offered by Cs by L Fisher, Felicias, and Calea.
These three are facing each other and all are found along Lacson Street right within the location of L Fisher Hotel.
Bacolod do love to eat, so here’s a LIST OF RESTAURANTS IN BACOLOD CITY
If you will attend the Masskara Festival, for sure you would want to bring some souvenirs. Here are the places you can buy Bacolod’s bests.
The Negro’s Showroom showcases the best of Negros Products. Named as the best trade house by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). Their beautiful products range from Local Souvenirs, Masks, T-Shirts, Housewares, Furniture and Furnishing, Food, Natural and organic, fashion and much more. They have a branch at the Robinsons Place Bacolod City and SM City-Bacolod City.
This Gallery offers original designs of Masskara related souvenirs. Just make sure to bring home authentic Bacolod-made souvenirs. Other souvenirs sold in the streets are made in China or just a repainted souvenirs from other festivals in the country.
Bacolod-Silay Airport Departure Area. If you wish to buy some delicacies but don’t have the time to visit any establishment, you can simply buy Bacolod delicacies like Piaya, Barquillos, etc. at the airport departure area. Merzci Bread and Pastries usually offer 10% discount for any guests. Just present your ticket or boarding pass. Their price? It’s just the same as with their other outlets.
Interested to witness Masskara Festival? Here’s how to get to Bacolod City.
By Air
Bacolod City is less than an hour flight from Philippine’s capital, Metro Manila. And merely 30 minutes from Cebu City. Various airline companies are serving the Bacolod-Silay Airport. An Air-conditioned van is servicing the airport to Bacolod City. It can drop you to the nearest point of your destination in Bacolod City for only P150/person.
By Bus
From Dumaguete City, take the Ceres Bus and it will reach Bacolod for a 4-5 hours ride. Just take a taxi from Ceres Terminal in Bacolod to your hotel.
From Cebu City, proceed to the North Terminal and take a Ceres Bus bound for Bacolod City.
Here’s the schedule for these buses:
By Sea
From Manila 2Go Travel is sailing Manila-Bacolod on the following schedule:
From Iloilo City, you can take several Fast Crafts with the following Schedule:
How to Get to Bacolod City Fast Craft Schedule
If you can, choose the hotel along Lacson Street or nearest to this place, because most of the activities during nighttime are held in this place. Hotels in Lacson Street are as follows: L Fisher Hotel, Avenue Suites, Seda Hotel (soon to open, not sure if they can open during the Masskara Festival), Metro Inn, Bacolod Executive Inn.
It is best to book your hotel early, Masskara season is fast approaching and many travelers booked their hotels as early as February.
Here’s the List of Hotels in Bacolod City.
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View Comments
Bacolod is one of my favorite places when traveling around Visayas.
The MassKara Festival was developed to improve the spirits of the inhabitants and restore their smiles. The smiling masks were a proclamation by the people of Bacolod City that they will overcome and survive the trials and tribulations that they are experiencing. With that given, it is only right that it should be celebrated by as much people possible. One way to do this is bby working with internet influencers can help you develop attention for your event, particularly if you want to attract younger audiences and demographics. If there are activities in which they can participate, more people will be interested in attending. Pageants, and talent showcases are among examples.
Masskara Festival is held as a declaration of determination to overcome adversity and tragedy. In order the city benefit from it , during masskara celebration it must have a high securities, medic station and add more portable toilet.
Hiring security personnel can mitigate potential risks during events by preventing unauthorized access, managing disturbances, and responding to emergencies or medical situations.
Providing adequate medical services at events not only reduces emergency response time, saves ambulance calls, and decreases emergency department admissions, but also enhances the success of the event.
Portable toilets demonstrates guest care, especially for elderly or children, as they can alleviate concerns about accessing restroom facilities on-site, it must be clean also.
For me, the Ist strategy that I will be implementing is Online or By the use of the technology because 80% of the people is using their smartphone and other form of technology in their everyday life. The 2nd is providing examples/ pictures of the events that you are advertising because if they find them pleasing or joyful they will definitely try the examples that you have. The last is providing information about the prices of the businesses that they can try so that they can pick what businesses they can go all throughout the event.
Eco-Friendly Initiatives:
Implement eco-friendly practices during the festival, such as waste reduction and recycling programs, to promote environmental sustainability. This will attract eco-conscious tourists and improve the city's image.
Encourage local businesses to adopt sustainable practices and offer eco-friendly products, creating a more environmentally responsible tourism ecosystem.
Organize community clean-up drives and tree-planting events as part of the festival, demonstrating Bacolod's commitment to preserving its natural beauty.
Digital Marketing Campaign: Launch an extensive digital marketing campaign to promote the MassKara Festival worldwide. Create engaging social media content, utilize influencer partnerships, and run targeted online ads to reach a global audience. Highlight the unique aspects of Bacolod, its culture, and the festival's attractions. Encourage tourists to visit by offering special online promotions and travel packages.
Tourism Infrastructure Improvement: Invest in improving Bacolod's tourism infrastructure. Upgrade transportation facilities, expand accommodation options, and enhance the city's cleanliness and safety. Develop tourist-friendly information centers and mobile apps to help visitors navigate the city and access festival information easily. These improvements will encourage more tourists to visit and stay longer, benefiting the local economy.
Improve Infrastructure and Logistics- Ensure smooth operations and visitor satisfaction by improving infrastructure and logistics. Enhance transportation options, provide clear signage and directions, set up convenient parking areas, and improve crowd management systems. Additionally, ensure the availability of clean restrooms, sufficient food and beverage stalls, and first aid facilities.
Enhance Safety and Security Measures- Implement robust safety and security measures to ensure a safe environment for festival-goers. Coordinate with local law enforcement agencies to deploy additional personnel, establish checkpoints, and implement crowd control measures. Communicate safety guidelines and emergency procedures effectively to attendees.
Embrace Sustainable Practices - Incorporate sustainable practices throughout the festival to minimize its environmental impact. This can include waste management initiatives, use of eco-friendly materials, promoting recycling and composting, and encouraging vendors to use sustainable products and practices.
Through blogging people from all over the Philippines or even outside the country will know how Bacolodnons celebrate Masskara festival.This blog contains all the informations that a traveler or tourist needed and it gives them an idea on what to expect during the festivities,what activities they can see and enjoy.This blog is a great reference for them and who to tap up once they need more informations about the festival,the hotels,the way of transportations,restaurants and etc.Masskara festival would be a perfect experience to travellers who likes to know history of places because Bacolod has a great history especially the Masskara festival and the story behind the smiling mask of bacolodnons. They Would be entertained and will be amaze with the colorful and beautiful mask, street dancing,the foods and delicacies,most importantly the friendly smiling faces,and hospitable people in Bacolod City. Surely is online marketing is a big help in attracting tourists,potential travellers,especially nowadays vlogging is very popular,im sure many vloggers will come and and ready to travel just to experience and witness the great Masskara Festival.Posting the masskara event in facebook is a great way too,to convince or encourage people to visit the city because Bacolod has so much to offer.And people nowadays spend more time in facebook,posting this event and will be shared by facebooks users is a good strategy in promoting the city.When all these online marketing strategies work,the city can attract more tourists,it will promote the city and to earn income during the festival.Podcast is a great way also to invite travellers and tourists.
Personally, these are my three strategies that I would implement for the Masskara Festival to benefit the city in terms of income, tourist arrivals, and overall promotion of the city.
The first one is to collaborate with local businesses and organizations: One effective strategy would be to collaborate with local businesses and organizations to maximize the impact of the Masskara Festival. Encourage partnerships with hotels, restaurants, and tourism agencies to offer special packages to attract tourists. This can include discounted rates, exclusive deals, and customized itineraries that highlight the festival's events and attractions. By working together, there will be a collective effort to promote Bacolod as a desirable tourist destination, leading to increased visitor numbers and income for the local economy.
The second strategy would be creating an extensive marketing campaign: A strong marketing campaign is crucial to attracting tourists and promoting the Masskara Festival. Utilize various marketing channels such as social media, print advertisements, television, and radio to reach a wide audience. Develop attractive and engaging content that showcases the festival's unique offerings, cultural diversity, and exciting activities. Target specific groups and regions known for having an interest in events and festivals, both domestically and internationally. Invest in professional photography and videography to visually capture the essence of Masskara and entice potential visitors. Also, utilize influencers and travel bloggers to amplify the festival's reach and create buzz.
And the third and final one would be expanding the festival's reach through virtual experiences: To make the Masskara Festival accessible to a wider audience and increase visitor engagement, incorporate virtual experiences into the event. Utilize live streaming technology to broadcast key festival events, performances, and attractions online. This enables people who are unable to physically attend the festival to participate and experience it remotely. Also, create immersive virtual reality experiences that allow potential tourists to virtually explore Bacolod’s landmarks, attractions, and cultural sites. By embracing virtual experiences, the festival can tap into new markets, attract tech-savvy travelers, and generate additional income through virtual ticket sales or merchandise.
Althea Lyca M. Navarro BSA-2A
If I were the tourism executive of bacolod city, this are the 3 strategies that I would implement for the Maskara Festival to benefit the city in terms of income, tourism arrival and overall promotion of the city.
1. Enhance Online and Social Media Presence: In today's world, many people use the internet and social media to plan their trips. By investing in a strong online and social media campaign, we can reach a wider audience of potential tourists. This means more people will learn about the Maskara Festival and be encouraged to visit Bacolod City, which boosts tourism arrivals and overall income for the city.
2. Promote Local Businesses and Food Stalls: When tourists come to Bacolod City for the Maskara Festival, we want them to experience not just the festival but also the local culture and flavors. Encouraging local businesses, food vendors, and artisans to participate in the festival provides an opportunity for tourists to spend money on unique products and delicious food. This not only benefits the businesses but also showcases the city's distinct character and culinary delights.
3. Festival App: Developing a dedicated mobile app for the Maskara Festival simplifies the visitor experience. It allows festival-goers to easily access important information like event schedules, maps, and special promotions right on their smartphones. The app can also send timely notifications about upcoming events, ensuring that tourists are engaged and well-informed throughout the festival, ultimately enhancing their overall experience.
If I were one of the the tourism executive of Bacolod city, the three marketing strategy I would implement for the Masskara Festival that will give benefit to the city in terms of Income, Tourist Arrivals and Overall Promotion of the Masskara festival would be;
- Booths for different barangays that shows their culture
- Masskara Exhibit for tourists to visit. An exhibit that shows the history of Masskara and why is it celebrated every year.
- Internet Celebrities that will advertise Bacolod and the Masskara Festival.