As a prelude to the Bacolaodiat Festival 2024, a kick-off was held at SM City Bacolod North Atrium on Sunday afternoon, February 4.
The event marked the beginning of the festivities as Bacolod City welcomes the Year of the Wood Dragon from February 9 to 11.
The Bacolaodiat Inc. board members led by festival chair John Stephen Sy and festival founder Alfredo Barcelona led the ceremonies.
Councilor Jason Villarosa with representatives from the Bacolod City Tourism Office, and SM City Bacolod led by Enzo Benedicto also attended the event.
Sy, in his welcome massage, said the Bacolaodiat Festival is not only a grand cultural event for the Filipino-Chinese community but for everyone.
“The Bacolaodiat Festival is a celebration that brings people together. This is not just a festival for us in the Filipino-Chinese community. But this is a festival for all of us Bacolodnons and Negrenses,” Sy said.
He also said that from Feb. 9 to 11, the streets of Bacolod will come alive with dazzling colors, cultural performances, and Asian delicacies, among others.
To mark the beginning of the festivities, a ribbon cutting ceremony took place, amid Chinese New Year-themed installations and a lion dance by the Bacolod Chamber Volunteer Fire Brigade.*