BACOLOD City — The Bacolod Gugma Foundation Inc. (BGFI) has unveiled the official theme for MassKara Festival 2026, highlighting the enduring spirit, love and sense of community that have shaped the annual celebration and earned Bacolod its reputation as the City of Smiles.
The theme, “Share the Smile, Celebrate Gugma,” was announced through the official Facebook page of MassKara Festival 2026.
The festival is scheduled for October 1 to 18, 2026, as the city continues preparations for this year’s celebration.
According to BGFI, “Share the Smile” pays tribute to generations of Bacolodnons who helped build the MassKara tradition, preserve its cultural identity and pass its spirit from one generation to the next.
“Celebrate Gugma,” meanwhile, encourages the younger generation to embrace the festival as their own by bringing fresh ideas, creativity and contemporary expressions to a celebration deeply rooted in Bacolod’s culture.
The organizers emphasized that MassKara is not simply a tradition preserved in time but a celebration that continues to evolve with the people of Bacolod.
From the smiles of grandparents to the energy of Generation Z, and from the stories of local icons to the aspirations of today’s youth, the festival aims to bring different generations together through a shared sense of identity and love for the city.
The celebration also recognizes how MassKara has expanded beyond its traditional streets and venues, with younger Bacolodnons using digital platforms and modern creative spaces to tell their own stories about the festival.
“The masks may change. The music may change. The generations may change. But the ‘gugma’ remains,” BGFI said.
Meanwhile, the City Government of Bacolod and BGFI are preparing to formalize their partnership for the staging of MassKara Festival 2026.
The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod recently authorized Mayor Greg Gasataya to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with BGFI, which will serve as the official organizer of this year’s festival.
Gasataya is expected to coordinate with BGFI this week to determine the schedule for the formal signing of the agreement.
While preparations are already underway, the mayor said the city will make an official announcement on the festival sites, planned innovations and other major details of MassKara 2026.
The announcement is expected to provide the public with a clearer picture of what to expect from this year’s celebration as organizers continue to develop the festival program.
Gasataya earlier announced the festival dates and encouraged residents and visitors to mark their calendars.
“Save the dates! MassKara Festival 2026 is set to spread Bacolod’s world-renowned smiles this October 1-18,” he said.
The early announcement of the festival schedule is intended to give residents, visitors, businesses and other stakeholders ample time to prepare for the celebration.
More than a major tourism event, MassKara is being positioned as a celebration of Bacolod’s creativity, resilience, culture and identity, bringing together generations of Bacolodnons and visitors from across the country and abroad.
With “Share the Smile, Celebrate Gugma” as its guiding message, MassKara 2026 seeks to connect the past with the present while giving the next generation an opportunity to shape the future of one of the country’s most recognizable festivals.
“From generations old to the new generation of Bacolod, the smile continues—and the gugma carries it forward,” BGFI said./PN
