BACOLOD City — The MassKara Festival’s 2026 arena dance competition will move to a new venue after the Bacolod Gugma Foundation Inc. (BGFI) deemed the Paglaum Sports Complex unsuitable for the event due to safety concerns.
MassKara Festival Director Rodney Ascalon confirmed that the arena competition will be held at a different location this year, with the final venue expected to be announced soon.
Ascalon said the Paglaum Sports Complex was assessed and found to be no longer suitable for the competition because of safety concerns.
The Bacolod Public Plaza was also ruled out as an alternative because large crowds and audience spillover could affect the ongoing redevelopment of the site.
“The Paglaum is no longer safe, and we cannot put it at the plaza because of the audience spillover,” Ascalon said. “There would be no seating for audiences on the sides, and because the plaza is being renovated, we do not want the renovation to be damaged.”
Despite the changes, Ascalon said the awarding ceremonies for the street and arena competitions will continue to be held at the Public Plaza, similar to last year.
Mayor Greg Gasataya said the decision was made primarily for public safety and crowd-control considerations.
He said the Public Plaza is undergoing a major redevelopment project implemented by the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), making crowd management a major concern.
“We have to understand the situation. It would be difficult to control the crowd, considering the investment of the national government in the renovation of the plaza,” Gasataya said.
Gasataya clarified that the Public Plaza will remain part of the MassKara Festival. Other festival activities and vendors will continue to operate at the site, although bleachers and other structures that could interfere with the redevelopment will be limited.
The announcement came after the signing of a memorandum of agreement on August 19 at the Bacolod City Government Center, formally designating BGFI as the official organizer of this year’s MassKara Festival.
Ascalon said the festival will officially launch during the first week of September, with activities involving various sectors and barangays.
Among the highlights will be the Miss Bacolod MassKara, which will feature barangay representatives in this year’s competition.
The festival will also adopt a revised schedule, dividing the celebration into two phases instead of holding daily activities throughout the entire period as was done last year.
A pre-MassKara celebration will run from October 1 to 8, featuring sports events, pre-pageant activities, arts programs and other community activities.
The 10-day festival highlight will run from October 9 to 18, when major events will be staged at designated festival sites.
Kiosks at the Bacolod Public Plaza and Bacolod City Government Center are expected to operate from October 1 to 18.
Other festival sites will include the Bacolod City Government Center and the Lacson Tourism Strip.
Ascalon said the revised schedule is intended to make the festival more manageable for organizers, participants and the public following last year’s extended run of daily activities.
This year’s competitions are also expected to draw more participants. Organizers are planning for eight barangays to compete in the barangay category of the street and arena competitions, while seven schools are expected to participate in the school category.
The Electric MassKara will feature 10 contingents, while 15 candidates are expected to vie for the Miss Bacolod MassKara crown.
With the arena competition moving to a new venue, organizers said public safety and the protection of ongoing redevelopment projects remain priorities as preparations for the 2026 MassKara Festival continue./PN
