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This year’s festivity features four major festival sites: the Bacolod City Government Center, Bacolod Public Plaza, Lacson Tourism Strip, and Megaworld’s The Upper East
NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – The 45th edition of the two-week MassKara Festival kicked off on Friday night, October 11, at the Bacolod City Government Center, drawing an impressive crowd of 45,000 — double the attendance in 2023.
The grand countdown featured interactive games and lively performances from local and national artists.
Bacolod Yuhum Foundation, the event’s organizer, reported that 45,000 people gathered for the annual grand countdown, marking a significant increase from last year’s turnout of 17,000.
The evening also featured a standout performance from popular pop-rock band December Avenue. The MassKara dancers and the Elektroika Divas also took the stage.
Mayor Albee Benitez said they had prepared diverse activities for this year, enticing everyone to join the celebration.
“Let’s enjoy the MassKara Festival. We have many activities lined up for this year’s celebration,” he said.
Bacolod City Police Office Director Colonel Joeresty Coronica said that the expanded festival site, which now includes a newly opened carnival area, contributed to the larger-than-usual crowd.
This year’s festivity features four major festival sites: the Bacolod City Government Center, Bacolod Public Plaza, Lacson Tourism Strip, and Megaworld’s The Upper East.
Major events scheduled for the festival include the MassKaralympics, MassKaNamit cookfest, Miss Bacolod MassKara, Lacson MassKara 2024: Kingdom, MassKarade Ball, Electric MassKara, and the highly anticipated MassKara Street Dance and Arena Competition on October 27.
Security
Coronica said they had not recorded any untoward incident during the grand countdown.
“We hope this monthlong event will end peacefully and successfully. We are asking people to cooperate and be vigilant while enjoying the festival,” he said
Philippine National Police Regional Director Jack Wanky, who also serves as the MassKara festival 2024 task force commander, led on Thursday, October 10, the deployment of 1,859 joint security personnel for the festival. This includes 1,199 uniformed officers from the PNP, 330 from other law enforcement agencies, 230 force multipliers, and 100 personnel from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, among others.
Hardships of the past
The MassKara Festival was born out of a crisis in the 1980s, aimed at uplifting the city’s morale following a tragic maritime disaster and the economic struggles stemming from the near-collapse of the province’s sugar industry due to the corruption of the cronies of then-dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos.
The corruption and brutality of Marcos’ regime drove sugar producers to bankruptcy, forcing the latter to abandon their estates. This left 190,000 sugar workers and their dependents to struggle for survival.
While the Marcoses enjoyed their so-called “golden years” alongside their allies and cronies, the masses endured famine and hardships.
The term “MassKara” was coined by artist Ely Santiago as a portmanteau of “mass,” signifying a large group of people, and “cara,” the Spanish word for “face.” It symbolizes the collective joy and resilience of the community in overcoming adversity.
Over the years, the festival has grown into a weeks-long extravaganza, attracting visitors from all over the Philippines and beyond. – Rappler.com
