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Born in 1980 in a year of tragedy and a sugar-price crash, Bacolod’s “festival of smiles” fills the streets each October with dancers in grinning masks and feathered costumes, glowing Electric MassKara floats and a city determined to smile through hard times.
A multitude of faces
MassKara was coined by the artist Ely Santiago from mass, a multitude, and the Spanish cara, face — a pun on maskara, the Filipino word for mask. The masks are always smiling, and Bacolod is known as the “City of Smiles”.
The first festival was held in 1980, a hard year: the price of sugar, the region’s main crop, had collapsed, and in April the ship Don Juan, carrying many people from Negros on their way home from Manila, sank after a collision. The city government under Mayor Jose Montalvo set aside funds and called on artists, civic groups and businesses to stage a “festival of smiles” — a declaration that however bad the times, Bacolod would pull through. The first MassKara was held on the city’s Charter Day, 19 October 1980.
Masks, lights and street dance
The highlight is the street-dance competition, in which groups from schools and barangays dance through the streets in masks and colourful costumes before performing on stage; the barangay division is the main event. For several nights before, the Electric MassKara brings dancers in neon and LED lights and illuminated floats along the Lacson Strip, a kilometre of stages, stalls, bars and food. There are also a beauty pageant, drum and bugle corps contests, food festivals, concerts and fairs.
Quando acontece
MassKara is held in October, with its highlights on a Sunday in the second half of the month — often given as the third Sunday, though the highlight weekend has varied. Electric MassKara parades run for several nights before. Check the city’s programme for the year.
- 18 de outubro de 2026Estimada
- 17 de outubro de 2027Estimada
- 15 de outubro de 2028Estimada
- 21 de outubro de 2029Estimada
Visitar com respeito
Segurança
- Crowds and drinking are heavy on the Lacson Strip at night. Use taxis only from reputable companies and be careful with alcoholic drinks.
Fontes
Esta entrada foi escrita a partir das fontes seguintes.
- MassKara FestivalWikipedia · consultado em 17 de setembro de 2026
- Philippines travel advice: safety and securityUK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office · consultado em 17 de setembro de 2026
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