Lacson Street getting ready for the Heartonic: MassKara Music Festival that kicks off Friday night.*
Bacolod City is set to erupt in its most dazzling display of smiles this weekend as the 46th MassKara Festival reaches its peak, with an evacuation plan in place to protect revelers from the double threat of potential flooding and earthquakes.
The lineup includes the Electric Float Parade, the MassKara Dance Showdown, Heartonic: MassKara Music Festival at Lacson Street , and the highly anticipated school and barangay arena and street dancing competitions, organizers said at a press conference on Thursday, Oct. 16.
The Electric MassKara Float Parade will kick off 6 p.m. Friday, Christine Mereria, chairperson of the event, said.
The Electric MassKara float competition, featuring 12 participating barangays, will start from Megaworld’s The Upper East, pass through the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC), and return to Megaworld, where the floats will remain on display.
This year’s floats are designed around the theme “One Smile. One City. One Heart.”, with each float representing a distinct aspect of Bacolod’s identity, Mereria added.
Immediately following the float parade, the spotlight will shift to the BCGC stage for the MassKara Dance Showdown at 7 p.m. Friday.
MUSIC FESTIVAL
Adding to the celebration is the return of the much-loved Lacson Tourism Strip parties from Friday to Sunday, October 17 to 19.
Drawing an expected crowd of over 100,000 visitors daily, the Heartonic: MassKara Music Festival will feature six entertainment stages where about 50 local and national celebrities and bands will perform, site director Mark Raymund Garcia said.
Stalls along the strip will serve food, including local delicacies, and also host brand activations and pop-up shops.
Evacuation guidelines have been established for the “Lacson Tourism Strip” in the event of an emergency like flooding or an earthquake, Garcia said..
Each music stage cluster has its own nearest evacuation point, he said.
In case of emergency, marshals will guide the crowd through safe lanes marked with glow tape and barricades, Garcia said.
STREET DANCING
The arena and street dance competitions will feature seven elementary schools on Saturday, while 10 barangays will face off on Sunday.
The arena competition will be held at the Paglaum Sports Complex, after which participants will dance their way to the Bacolod Public Plaza.
The Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) has dispatched 2,495 personnel to secure the festival this weekend.*
