Bacolod’s MassKara Festival holds soft opening

BACOLOD CITY — Two of the four festival sites of Masskara 2014 held its soft opening over the weekend.
The sites are the Bacolod People’s House (Government Center) and the “Barangay San Miguel” along SM City Bacolod at the Reclamation Area.
At least 30 concessionaires opened their kiosks behind the Bacolod People’s House. In Barangay San Miguel, attractions include food stalls, drinking stations and various activity booths.
These events officially set the pace for this year’s festival set to start October 1 with a series of events, including a four-way run, jog, walk, bike and skate, the opening of the Gawad Kalinga Volunteerism Week, thanksgiving mass, mask making contest, and the GMA Dansskara elimination round.

Executive Assistant IV Rocky Puentevella, son of Mayor Monico Puentevella, met with the city’s department heads and discussed the events for the 2014 MassKara Festival.
With the representatives of festival organizer Kasadya Bacolod Foundation Inc., Puentevella encouraged the department heads to participate and take part in the various activities.
“MassKara is our festival. It only comes once a year and we should make the best out of it,” Puentevella said.
Aside from the Bacolod People’s House and SM City Baolod, other festivals are the Bacolod City Public Plaza and the Lacson Tourism Strip.
The highlights for this year’s MassKara include the MassKara Queen Coronation Night on October 10; opening of the MassKara by the Sea on October 12; Streetdance School Category, October 17; Streetdance Barangay Category, October 18; and the Kaadlawan sang Bacolod and the opening of the MassKara Float Parade, October 19.
The MasskaraLand will be unveiled on October 17.
In a related development, the Sangguniang Panlungsod approved the letter-request of Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) headed by Senior Supt. Pedrito Escarilla for the budgetary needs for security operations during the festival.