Masskara!

I love street festivals - whether its Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Memphis in May or Caribana in Toronto - they are always so much fun. Masskara is no exception - spanning a 19 day period with multiple types of events and venues. The people of Bacolod know how to have a good time!

Electric Masskara
Friday night was the electric light dance competition on the street. 4 stages, 7 teams competing for top prize. The dance troops looked like they ranged from 20-40 people and all the costumes were decorated with little LED lights. What a great party! The 10 of us walking around the streets of Bacolod also draw quite a lot of attention. Lots of people were taking pictures of us and with us - especially Jaana, the platinum blonde from Finland and Guillermo the Spanish George Clooney. Me, when I'm not with the rest of them, I can pretty much blend in with the locals but the 10 of us together are like a mini-UN complete with our own little paparazzi.

Parades & Dance Competition
On Sunday, the top teams performed as the city government plaza in the open category performance. Huge dance trooops, elaborate moving set pieces, and lots of energy. The troops are all made from school aged children from different barangay or districts. We were given guest passes to sit in the stands but outside the gates, tons of people pressed up against the barriers to try to get a glimpse of the performance. I felt a little bad as I watched the policemen eject the little children who were trying to sneak a peak from under the bleachers at our feet.

City Charter Day
The city of Bacolod turns 71 this year. The day started with a Catholic mass in the city government center. As part of the celebration, they received the official land transfer from the owners who donated the property for the new city government building. There were also several awards given. Interestingly enough, some of the awards were for the individuals and companies who paid the most taxes in the last year. I'm not sure this would be seen as an 'honor' back in the US.