Councilor Vladimir Gonzalez, City Tourism Officer Ma. Teresa Manalili, Councilor Jason Villarosa, Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, Crispin Chua, Oddette Ong Gomez and Jennifer Gochangco Ong (l-r) at the Bacolaodiat Festival press conference on Friday.*
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said 18th edition of the Bacolaodiat Festival set January 20-22 to usher in the Chinese New Year should also be a time to start moving on after the COVID-19 pandemic.
This will be the start of a better year to come and a signal to return to normalcy, he said.
The new COVID-19 cases in Bacolod City have been relatively low and there are even days when there are no reported cases, Benitez said at a press conference on Friday, to announce the Bacolaodiat Festival activities.
“It’s now really more like a flu,” he said.
The four sites for the Bacolaodiat Festival are the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC), Megaworld’s The Upper East, the Yuan Thong Temple and SM City, Oddette Ong Gomez said.
The festival will open on January 20 with a Dazzling Grand Parade staring 4:30 p.m. from The Upper East to the BCGC.
It will be followed by the ceremonial Lighting of Lanterns and Lotus, a Cultural Show, Lunar Music Fest and fireworks at the BCGC .
There will also be simultaneous fireworks at The Upper East.
The opening of the Imperial Village and the Chopsticks Alley will also be held at the Upper East at 4 p.m. on January 20, she said.
On January 21 there will be a Bacolaodiat Dog Fashion Show at 1 p.m. at the BCGC grounds, street dance competition at 4:30 p.m. from The Upper East to the BCGC to be followed by a lantern dance competition, lunar music fest to be capped by fireworks at midnight.
The New Year Dharma Prayer at the Yuan Thong Temple will start at 10 p.m. of January 21.
There are numerous activities set at the Yuan Thong Temple January 21 and 22 that will be open to the public, Jennifer Gochangco Ong also said.
There will also be a repeat of the lantern dance competition performances and awarding of winners at SM City Bacolod on Sunday, January 22.*
