BACOLOD City — The MassKara Festival 2026 was officially launched Friday, kicking off an 18-day celebration featuring new venues, expanded activities and efforts to make the festival more inclusive and accessible to Bacolodnons and visitors.
This year’s festival carries the theme “Share the Smile. Celebrate Gugma,” reflecting organizers’ thrust to involve more communities and sectors in the city’s signature celebration.
Festival Director Rodney Mitz Ascalon, president of the Bacolod Gugma Foundation Inc. (BGFI), said this year’s edition aims to strengthen MassKara’s identity while creating more opportunities for people to take part in the festivities.
“MassKara is more than a festival; it is a feeling, it is our identity, and it is our way of sharing who we are,” Ascalon said during the launch.
The launching was led by Mayor Greg Gasataya and Bacolod City Lone District Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez.
One of the major changes this year is the transfer of the Streetdance and Arena Dance Competition to the Reclamation Area between the bridgeways of SM City Bacolod.
The school category will be held on Oct. 17, while the barangay category will take place on Oct. 18.
BGFI, the festival organizer, said the new venue is intended to bring the competitions closer to the public. The Paglaum Sports Complex was earlier assessed to be unsuitable for a production of the Arena’s scale, while the Bacolod City Public Plaza remains under renovation.
Eight barangays will compete in the barangay category, while seven elementary schools will participate in the school competition.
The festival will also feature the Electric MassKara, with seven barangays set to compete at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC).
Organizers also unveiled a new twin-logo concept designed by Bacolod artist Mark Lester Jarmin as part of efforts to give MassKara a refreshed visual identity.
The launch likewise formally introduced the 15 candidates for Miss Bacolod MassKara 2026, who will undergo various activities leading to the coronation on Oct. 11 at the STI Gym.
MassKara Festival 2026 will run from Oct. 1 to 18, featuring competitions, community activities, sports events, pageants, food experiences, concerts and entertainment programs.
Among the scheduled activities are MassKareppin, MasskaRap Battle, Choreographers Showdown, PetsKara, Drum and Lyre Corps Competition, SingKara, Super Kidskara, Electric MassKara, Hataw Sayaw sa Plaza, and the Streetdance and Arena Dance Competition.
Major entertainment events will be held at various venues, including the BCGC, Public Plaza, SM City Bacolod, Ayala Malls Capitol Central and Megaworld.
Gasataya thanked the festival’s sponsors for their continued support, saying their contributions are vital to the success of the celebration.
Benitez, meanwhile, said MassKara remains a major tourism draw for Bacolod, providing the city an opportunity to showcase its development, accomplishments and potential as a tourism destination.
Ascalon said the 2026 celebration is not simply about making MassKara bigger, but about making it more meaningful to Bacolodnons.
“We don’t just make MassKara bigger; we make it matter,” he said./PN
