Fun things to do in Bacolod City

4 more images

One thing nice about the Masskara Festival, the organizers are quite tolerant of tourists having pictures with the street dancers while the parade is going on. As long as the dancers are NOT performing at the judging areas, and as long as you don't get in the way of their street dance, you can approach them to have your souvenir picture. Better yet, ask permission from the marshals first (the ones at the sides of the street dancers, those in charge of cordoning the dancing area), and they will instruct the dancers to pose with you. If you are a VTer, you can even request them to hold the VT Flag, as they did for me. See my Travelogue on this.

4 more images

Along the circumferential road east of Bacolod is the New Government Center (NGC), considered the newest landmark in the City. Its presence along the Circumferential Road is said to have pump-primed the sprouting of business establishments (hotels, restaurants, private offices, banks, call centers, supermarket, etc) in the surrounding areas. This opened new jeepney and tricycle routes, making it accessible to locals and tourists. Infront of the new City Hall is a big pond with a beautiful fountain in the middle. In the evenings, the place is transformed into a night spot. When we went there, I saw families having snacks in the benches while watching the colorful lights of the fountain. There were health buffs jogging around the NGC; photography hobbyists practicing shooting; lovers strolling in the beautifully landscaped park; teenagers practicing a dance; tourists taking souvenir shots. In a way, I thought it was like the Provincial Capitol Lagoon and Manila’s Luneta or Rizal Park where people loved to spend their time.

During the 2011 Masskara Festival season, a much bigger crowd went to the NGC especially in the evenings to view the colorful floating installations in the pond. Hubby and I went there in the morning for a photo shoot, and returned in the evening with VTers Buena, Paolo and Denver. The multi-colored lighting on the fountain and the brightly lit floating installations added drama to the ambiance.

4 more images

A brainchild of La Consolacion College (LCC), the Giant Puppet Parade immediately drew wows from the crowd. The students of LCC Fine Arts, Interior Design and Architecture competed in making the giant puppets. It is unfortunate that I wasn’t able to witness the parade from the Capitol Lagoon to the City Plaza. (We were in Silay City.) Good thing, I had the chance to see the giant puppets when they joined the parade of the Barangay street dancers. With the nice acceptance of the crowd, I won’t be surprised if there will be another Giant Puppet Parade in next year’s Masskara Festival. I will surely make time for it.

4 more images

I thought the Masskara Village was the only exhibit at Robinson’s Place. As hubby and I went up to the 3rd level of Robinson’s Place to look for restaurants, we discovered the Masskara Festival Mask & Costume Display. On exhibit were the masks and costumes to be used by participating schools and barangays in the 2011 Masskara Street Dancing Competition. Each group had a pair of mannequins wearing their masks and costumes. My eyes feasted on the colorful and intricate masks and costumes, just looking at them heightened my expectations of the Masskara Street Dancing Competition.

(Note: For next year's display, watch for announcements re: venue. Last year, it was in another mall so next year, they might change venue again.)

The Maskara Village is an annual event organized by ABS-CBN. The event kicks off with a mask-making contest participated in by designers/artists from the different cities and municipalities of Negros Occidental. Then, all the handcrafted masks are displayed in the Masskara Village. I missed it to see the exhibit last year because I didn’t know about it. Fortunately, a friend tipped me on this year’s exhibit so I didn’t miss it this time. Soon after we checked in at our hotel, hubby and I hurried to Robinson’s Place Bacolod and headed to the 2nd level where the Masskara Village was set up. I marveled at the creativity put in by the artists in fabricating the masks; they were all so beautiful! See my travelogue for photos of displayed masks.

(NOTE: Last year, the venue was in another mall so next year, watch for announcements where it will be held.)

4 more images

Beforehand, I read that ANP Showroom sold "the best Negrense handicraft and products such as houseware, decorative objects, garments, gift items....furniture to furnishings, ceramics, scented candles, pottery, novelties, ladies/children's garments, fashion accessories, souvenir t-shirts as well as indigenous food and pasalubongs". When I went there, I was so impressed by the Associated Negros Producers' Showroom. It is indeed a one-stop trade house that showcase arts and crafts and almost everything produced by Negros Island. You need not go to so many places, spending time and transportation fare. The place is air-conditioned, the staff are all polite, friendly and efficient, patient enough to get our t-shirt sizes, and well informed enough to answer our questions re: the pasalubong items. They will even go to the extent of securing the items you want that are not available on your visit, like the Napoleones that they ordered for us, then they texted my husband to let him know the goods are available for pick-up.

When we returned to Bacolod City for the 2011 Masskara Festival, we didn't bother to shop for pasalubongs elsewhere. We went to the Associated Negros Producers' Showroom and found everything we needed and wanted there. It is nice to see that their customer service is still the same. Service was fast, and the staff assisted us with a smile ;)

Regular Working Hours: 9:30 AM to 7:00 PM Monday to Sunday

Masskara Season: 9:00 AM to 1:00 AM Friday & Saturday
9:00 AM to 9:00 PM Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday

Sunsets are always amazing. The beauty of the sun setting in while darkness envelopes. I think it's the most special time of the day and makes one ponder on life and alike...

There are beaches 15-20 minutes south of Bacolod where one can have a glimpse of the nice sunset. The beach thought isn't that good and it has black sand... But the sole feeling of being on a beach at sunset is priceless...

4 more images

On downtown area, you can usually find street foods sold in cart. From peanuts, to popcorn, balut and stuff. ;) During Masskara, more of them are visible on the streets. So if you want to have an adventure with street food, go have some. ;) Not all of them are guaranteed 100% clean though, so choose the food you want to try as well.