Bacolod Rum Festival returns with cocktails, street party

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — The city government has laid out plans for the sixth Bacolod Rum Festival, which will kick off Aug. 15 with competitions, music, dancing, and entertainment at SM City Bacolod North Block and North Capitol Road.

The celebration will begin at SM City Bacolod North Block with the Flair Bartending Competition, where participants will showcase their creativity, precision, and skills behind the bar from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

The festival celebrates not only a product closely associated with Negros’ rich sugar heritage but also the energy, creativity, and warm hospitality for which Bacolod is known.

The Bacolod Signature Cocktail Competition will feature innovative creations inspired by the city’s flavors, sugar heritage, and renowned hospitality from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The celebration will then move outdoors for one of the festival’s highlights — the Free Rum Dance Street Party at North Capitol Road at 6 p.m.

Activities will include Zumba parties, live DJ sets, band performances, music, dancing, and other entertainment.

Festivalgoers of legal drinking age can also sample selected rum products from three participating brands — Ginebra San Miguel, Tanduay, and Emperador — with organizers strongly encouraging responsible drinking.

First launched in 2019, the Bacolod Rum Festival was established to highlight the city’s connection to the rum industry and Negros Occidental’s longstanding sugar heritage.

The inaugural festival followed the passage of a city ordinance declaring the third week of August as Bacolod’s official Rum Festival week.

The celebration has since become one of Bacolod’s recurring cultural events, showcasing the city’s heritage, creativity, hospitality, and connection to rum production.