The MassKara Festival was born, its name a portmanteau, coined by the late artist Ely Santiago, from mass (a multitude of people) and the Spanish word cara (face), thus forming MassKara, a multitude of faces. The word is also a pun on maskara, the Philippine word for mask (itself from the Spanish word mascara), since masks adorned with smiling faces are a prominent feature of the festival in the “city of smiles.”
The MassKara festival is held every October, and one can sense the anticipation throughout the city in the preceding weeks. The festive mood peaks during the third week of the month, around the celebration of Bacolod’s “Charter Day” on October 19th. Dancers wearing colorful masks gather at Bacolod Square and dance to infectious Latin rhythms. The parade, full of colorful masks and costumes, is an absolute highlight, but there’s an abundance of splendid events held on the city’s streets, including a beauty pageant, drum and bugle corps competitions, food festivals, sports events, agricultural trade fairs, garden shows, and many others. The MassKara festival, which started as a local event, is broadcast live across the country and has since become a representative festival of the Philippines, attracting tourists from all over the world.
The festival is full of positive energy and symbolizes the strong will of the Philippine people to overcome life’s many crises with a unique sense of optimism and a special passion for life. Bacolod’s nickname, the “City of Smiles,” is reflected in the Philippine people’s friendly hospitality, so come October, why not visit the Philippines and enjoy the sweet happiness in the “City of Smiles.”