Bacolod, Gugma Foundation seal MassKara 2026 partnership
By Glazyl M. Jopson
By Glazyl M. Jopson
BACOLOD CITY — More than a month before this year’s MassKara Festival, Mayor Greg Gasataya and the Bacolod Gugma Foundation Inc. (BGFI) officially sealed their partnership through a memorandum of agreement signed Wednesday for the celebration.
Gasataya and Festival Director Rodney Ascalon announced several significant changes during the signing at the Bacolod City Government Center to enhance public safety, crowd management, and the overall festival experience.
On Monday, the festival organizer unveiled the official theme of MassKara Festival 2026, highlighting love, joy, and the spirit that brings the city together.
Themed “Share the Smile. Celebrate Gugma,” this year’s celebration centers on the love that makes MassKara uniquely Bacolodnon — and the smiles that make Bacolod the City of Smiles.
It honors the generations who built the tradition, protected the culture, and passed the spirit of MassKara from one generation to the next.
It also invites a new generation to make that tradition their own — to remix it, reinvent it, and carry it forward in their own unmistakable Bacolodnon way.
Ascalon announced that the festival will officially launch in the first week of September, promising fresh experiences while strengthening the celebration’s focus on local heritage and community participation.
He said the festival will continue its grassroots approach, building on last year’s efforts to involve communities, barangays, and various sectors through events at the Bacolod Public Plaza and the Bacolod City Government Center.
Reflecting this community-centered approach, the Miss Bacolod MassKara pageant will also adopt a new format. Unlike in previous years, when the competition was open to all Bacolodnons, this year’s candidates will exclusively represent their respective barangays.
The grand launch will introduce the 15 candidates vying for the Miss Bacolod MassKara crown, as well as the festival’s competition lineup, including 10 entries in Electric MassKara, eight in the barangay category, and seven in the school category for the arena and street dancing competitions.
The arena competition is expected to move from the Paglaum Sports Complex to a new venue following safety assessments. The street dancing competition will likewise have a new route, while the grand awarding ceremony will remain at the Bacolod Public Plaza, Gasataya said.
MassKara 2026 will also be divided into two phases. Food kiosks will open as early as Oct. 1, while the Pre-MassKara Celebration will run from Oct. 1–8 and feature sports tournaments, pre-pageant activities, and various mall events.
The festival’s major highlights are scheduled for Oct. 16–18.
After his appointment, Ascalon reaffirmed his commitment to making the festival a celebration of gugma—the love, unity, and shared spirit that define Bacolodnons.
Ascalon emphasized that MassKara is more than a festival. It is an opportunity to bring people together, create meaningful experiences, and showcase Bacolod’s warmth and resilience to the world.
He said the festival will continue to create spaces where every Bacolodnon can participate, contribute, and feel part of the celebration.
The 2026 celebration marks the 47th edition of MassKara, which began in 1980 amid economic and social hardships in Bacolod and Negros Occidental and evolved into one of the city’s signature cultural events.
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