Masskara Festival

Name: Masskara Festival
Start: 2025-10-11
End: 2025-10-25
Location: Bacolod

Masskara Festival: Bacolod’s Carnival of Smiles and Colorful Hope

2026/10/10 - 2026/10/24

The Masskara Festival is one of the Philippines’ most iconic carnivals, held every October in Bacolod City, Negros Island, and themed around “smiling masks.” For three weeks, the city bursts with music, dance, and joy as thousands of performers in dazzling masks and costumes fill the streets. Whether you’re a traveler, a photographer, or someone who wants to experience local pride, everyone is embraced by the happiness of this “Festival of Smiles.”

Held annually during the third and fourth weeks of October, Masskara Festival welcomes both locals and visitors. It’s one of the liveliest festivals in the Philippines, blending street revelry, art, and community pride into an unforgettable celebration.

Main Attractions

Masskara Street Dance Competition

The heart of the festival is the street dance competition, where troupes of dancers parade through downtown Bacolod in hand-crafted, colorful masks and extravagant costumes. The beat of drums and cheers fills the air as each group’s choreography tells a story of overcoming hardship with a smile. The sight of hundreds of smiling masks moving in unison is truly breathtaking.

Key Events

Beyond dance, the festival features the Electric Masskara Parade (a night parade with glowing floats and LED costumes), live concerts, all-night street parties, beauty pageants, and food fairs. The city plaza transforms into a carnival with rides and art displays, and music and laughter fill every corner of Bacolod.

Costumes and Decorations

Performers wear Masskara masks adorned with feathers, beads, sequins, and vibrant paint. Costumes are lavish, with frills, sparkling capes, and giant headdresses. Streets and plazas are decorated with banners, streamers, and huge mask sculptures, while the scent of street food and the feel of confetti stimulate all the senses.

Traditional Food & Drink

Food is a festival highlight. Bacolod’s famous chicken inasal (grilled chicken marinated in calamansi and spices) sizzles at food stalls, along with piaya (sweet flatbread), batchoy (noodle soup), and fresh sugarcane juice. The aroma of grilling meat, the sweetness of desserts, and the tang of vinegar sauces make exploring the food stalls an adventure in itself.

Cultural and Historical Background

The Masskara Festival was born in 1980, a year of unprecedented hardship for Bacolod City. At the time, Bacolod and the rest of Negros Island depended heavily on the sugar industry, but a global drop in sugar prices devastated the local economy, leaving many farmers and workers without jobs or income. To make matters worse, in April of that year, the ferry MV Don Juan sank, claiming the lives of about 700 people, including many Bacolod residents. The city was gripped by sorrow and despair.

In response, local artists, civic groups, and city officials united to create a new festival, hoping to lift spirits and inspire hope. The name “Masskara” is a portmanteau of “mass” (crowd) and the Spanish “cara” (face), meaning “many faces,” and is also a play on the Filipino word for mask (“maskara”). The smiling masks and lively parades became symbols of Bacolod’s resilience and determination to smile through adversity, earning the city its nickname, the “City of Smiles.” The first festival was held during the city’s Charter Day in October 1980, with mask-making workshops and street performances.

Today, Masskara Festival has grown into an international event, drawing over a million visitors each year. It celebrates the power of community, creativity, and optimism, and stands as a proud symbol of Bacolod’s identity and spirit.

Participant Voices

I came from Manila for the Electric Masskara parade. The glowing costumes, the music, and the energy were incredible! I joined locals for street food and even learned the Masskara dance from them.

Fun Facts

“Masskara” is a portmanteau of “mass” (crowd) and the Spanish “cara” (face), meaning “many faces.”
The smiling mask was born as a symbol of hope during a time of crisis.
Bacolod is known as the “City of Smiles,” and the festival’s motto is “Smile Bacolod!”