Celebrities are joining the nine-day Tanduay Bacolod Rum Festival 2023 that will be held at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) Complex August 12-20.
Expected at the festival are Derek Ramsay, Kylie Verzosa and singer-songwriter Ely Buendia.
The nationwide flairtending and mixology competition grand finals will also be held for the first time during the Bacolod festival.
The winner will win P50,000 and will represent the country in a similar competition in Singapore in November.
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez noted that Bacolod is the home of Tanduay, the world’s No. 1 rum that has a huge impact in terms of awareness of the city.
“We would like to enhance the branding of Tanduay together with Bacolod City so the city it will be known worldwide,” he said.
Benitez said he has proposed that in order to intertwine Bacolod and Tanduay, perhaps a logo of the city of smiles can be placed on all its bottles to give the city worldwide notice.
This would enable cross marketing, he said.
Albert Jucutan, Tanduay regional marketing manager, said they will relay the mayor’s proposal to top management.
“Maybe we could work things out, because Tanduay’s partnership with Bacolod has been good. It is possible,” he said.
Councilor Em Ang, author of the ordinance creating the rum festival, said its first staging was in August 2019.
Its creation was inspired by our desire create more cultural to create economic activities for Bacolod, she said.
She pointed out that sugar is a main ingredient in the production of rum, and the festival commemorates the contribution of rum to the sugar industry.
The festival was not held in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic but returned in 2022 signaling the resumption of face-to- face activities and festivals in Bacolod, she said.
Councilor Jason Villarosa said the opening of the festival will be at the BCGC grounds on August 12.
A food park will also be open for the duration of the festival at the BCGC Complex.
The festival will also include a barrel painting competition, culinaria event, Tanduay ambassador’s motorcade, and a music festival, he said.
Benitez said they will ask all kiosk operators to follow the age limit for serving liquor during the festival.*