Traveling Morion | Travel + Photography: IN PHOTOS | Masskara Festival 2017 of Bacolod City

Masskara Festival is Bacolod City’s annual festival showcasing the happiest and the most colorful festival in the country. It is a month-long celebration of concerts, food fests, street parties, and a lot more enjoyable activities with highlights on the fourth Sunday of October.

The festival was first kicked off in 1980 when Bacolod City had an economic shaking tragedy that lead them to a great crisis. The city's artists, local government and civic groups decided to initiate a festival of smiles to which the place was known since then, “City of Smiles”. This had also been the best way they thought that could pull out their people from the gloom brought by the Don Juan Tragedy.

"Masskara" means a multitude of faces. It is a portmanteau of mass (a multitude of people) and the Spanish word cara (face). It is also a witticism of the Filipino word mascara (mask) since the festival prominently features masks with smiling faces symbolizing the city’s remarks being the city of smiles.

For the year’s feast, Masskara Festival 2017 theme is “Bacolod: City of Southeast Asia”. Highlights of the event are on October 21-22, 2017 - the Street and Arena Dance Competitions. It is where contenders ostentatiously dress in their colourful costumes wearing their masks in smiling faces and dance to the beat of blended ASEAN and traditional Filipino music. Prizes at stake are to be competed by 15 barangays and 11 schools on October 21-22.

Photographs of Masskara Festival 2017, October 21 Street dancing (School Category)

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Read : Sinulog Festival 2018 Schedule of Activities and Events

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