October is a very special month for the people of Bacolod because this is the month of the Masskara Festival. The festival is usually celebrated in the first twenty days of the month of October and people from nearby cities and islands go to Bacolod to be a part of the festivity.
The Masskara dance parade showcases a pool of colors and fancy designs of masks, head dresses and costumes. Therefore, photographers, amateurs and professionals alike will definitely enjoy capturing the beauty and colors of these masks. The colorful smiles of the Bacolodnons are surely good pieces to add in a photographer's portfolio.
The Masskara Queen is the official Beauty Contest of the Masskara Festival. Every year, young ladies are vying for the crown of Miss Masskara Queen and displaying their physical beauty, fitness, talent and intelligence. This is one of the most popular events in Masskara Festival.
For the party people, live bands are on the go to entertain the streets of Bacolod during the night time. Drinking and food booths are on the street sides too. For small-time shoppers, the sides are also lined with booths that sell inexpensive clothes, caps and other accessories. If you are not from Bacolod and Negros, you may want to buy mask figures as souveniers to keep.
The festival is also packed with other activities not just for entertainment but also to provide help for the people. Job fair, drag racing contest and mask making contest are among the activities in the 2008 Maskarra Festival. Local artists are also flying in to the city to entertain the people.
The Masskara Festival is truly one of the most awaited festival in the Philippines and as a Filipino, it is truly a promising festival to witness.
