Food park operations at the Bacolod City Public Plaza and the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) grounds generated a combined ₱21,504,187 in sales from October 1 to 18, surpassing the ₱17.06 million recorded across the two major festival sites during MassKara Festival 2025.
Based on consolidated reports submitted by participating concessionaires, the 2026 sales total represents an increase of ₱4.44 million, or approximately 26.1 percent, over last year’s figures, despite covering one day less, Gugma Foundation reported Tuesday, Oct. 20.
The Bacolod City Public Plaza recorded ₱12,355,582 in total sales, up from approximately ₱11.87 million in 2025.
Meanwhile, the BCGC grounds generated ₱9,148,605, compared with ₱5.19 million last year.
The BCGC grounds posted the larger year-on-year increase, with sales rising by approximately 76.3 percent.
The Public Plaza likewise recorded an increase of approximately 4.1 percent.
Christopher Mallo, Food Kiosks Management head, said the figures reflect the strong support of festivalgoers for participating concessionaires and the opportunities created by the celebration.
“The sales figures reflect the strong support of festivalgoers for our participating concessionaires. Beyond providing food and refreshments, these kiosks create opportunities for local entrepreneurs to generate income during one of Bacolod’s biggest annual celebrations. We are grateful to everyone who supported our vendors and helped make this year’s operations successful,” Mallo said.
Festival Director Rodney Mitz Ascalon emphasized that the growing sales figures demonstrate MassKara Festival’s contribution to the local economy beyond its cultural and tourism significance.
“MassKara Festival is more than a celebration of smiles and culture. It is also an opportunity to create livelihood, strengthen local businesses, and bring economic activity to our communities. Seeing our sales surpass last year’s figures is encouraging, and we look forward to seeing the additional contribution of the Lacson Tourism Strip and our other festival sites,” Ascalon said.
The economic impact is expected to grow further with the three-day operations along the Lacson Tourism Strip, where overwhelming foot traffic across all six stages and back-to-back brand activations drew festivalgoers throughout the celebration, the foundation reported.
With sustained crowd turnout and strong engagement across entertainment areas and commercial activations, the Lacson Tourism Strip is expected to generate millions of pesos in additional sales, it added.
Final figures will depend on the consolidated reports from participating concessionaires and partners. The projected sales from the Lacson Tourism Strip are not yet included in the ₱21.50-million total reported for the Public Plaza and BCGC Grounds.
MassKara Festival 2025 recorded ₱17.06 million in combined food park sales at the two sites from October 1 to 19, with the Public Plaza generating approximately ₱11.87 million and the BCGC Grounds recording ₱5.19 million.
The 2026 figures show stronger declared sales across both locations, highlighting the commercial opportunities created by the festival for local entrepreneurs and participating businesses, the Gugma Foundation said.
Guided by the theme “Share the Smile. Celebrate Gugma,” MassKara Festival 2026 continues to bring together culture, entertainment, tourism, and entrepreneurship, reinforcing its role as a celebration that benefits both festivalgoers and Bacolod’s business community, it added.*
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