This Week in Bacolod (October 16 to 22, 2017)

There is a MassKara Village exhibit featuring 24 wearable masks made by local artists on display at the second level of Robinsons Place Bacolod. Fifteen entries will be chosen for a parade on October 20 at the fountain area of the mall.

On the other hand, the annual MassKara Drumbeating Contest will be held this October 17 to 19, every 7:00 PM at the public plaza.

The crowd drawer that is the National Fireworks Display Competition is back and bigger. It will have 10 competing teams after its successful debut last year. The first night of the fireworks show will kick off on October 19, 11:00 PM at the Bacolod Public Plaza. The fireworks show will continue every 11:00 PM on October 20 and 21.

For street party goers, Electric MassKara starts at 5:00 PM on October 20 at the Lacson St. Tourism Strip. At 6:00 PM, there will be a Bombo Radyo Phil. Dance Showdown Competition at the public plaza. This will be followed by San Miguel Beer (SMB) Night featuring Rivermaya at 7:00 PM.

On Saturday, October 21, the Street Dance and Arena Competitions start at 3:00 PM at the Bacolod Public Plaza. At 5:00 PM the second night of Electric MassKara will be held at Lacston St. Tourism Strip, where there is also a lineup of pastry shops forming a “dessert triangle.”

Another SMB Night, this time featuring Rocksteady and Gracenote, will be held at 7:00 PM at the public plaza. This will be followed by Pepsi Night at 8:00 PM, and Steeltech Night at 9:00 PM at the same venue.

For a delirious conclusion, one of the highlights of MassKara, the Street Dance and Arena Competition, starts at 3:00 PM at the public plaza. This will be followed by Electric MassKara at 5:00 PM at the Lacson St. Tourism Strip. To cap off the night, winners of the National Fireworks Display Competition will light up the sky one last time on October 22, 11:00 PM at the BGC Grounds. Adding even more frenzy to the last day of MassKara is the attendance of President Rodrigo Duterte, who graced the start of the festivities last year.

For visitors who have yet to book hotel accommodations in the City of Smiles, it is expected that vacant rooms will be hard to come by this week. As for the weather, there will be showers and thunderstorms throughout the week. Temperatures will range from 24 °C to 32 °C.