Bacolod City has wrapped up its five-day Chicken Inasal Festival with city officials declaring the event a successful celebration of food, culture, and community.
Drawing over 80,000 visitors across its main festival sites, this year’s edition further strengthened Bacolod’s reputation as a growing culinary destination.
Throughout the festivities, Manokan Country, regarded as the historic home of Bacolod chicken inasal, remained the top dining choice of locals and tourists.
Under the leadership of festival chair, Mayor Albee Benitez, the celebration featured simultaneous activities at three major locations: Manokan Country at SM City Bacolod, Ayala Malls, and at Megaworld’s The Upper East.
The official festival opening was held at Manokan Country, where chicken inasal vendors hailing from the pioneering families from Cuadra Street, joined city and SM mall officials in a symbolic solidarity grilling.
“The Bacolod Chicken Inasal Festival (BCIF) is more than just a food celebration. It was a recognition of the families who built our chicken inasal tradition with their hands and grills,” said Councilor Celia Flor, who heads the committee on markets. “Our Manokan pioneers are not just vendors, they are cultural bearers whose work continues to define our city’s identity.”
The Manokan area also remained as one of the festival’s busiest hubs. SM mall featured a series of competitions and grilling workshops involving students from local culinary schools and skills institutions, hosted entertainment stars for special appearances, and the Inasal Awards Night.
At Ayala Malls Capitol Central, the festival brought together chefs and food lovers through a curated beer pairing event and live cook-off competition, which highlighted the versatility of inasal in contemporary cuisine.
Over at The Upper East, nightly grill fests drew in the evening crowds and culminated with a piaya delicacy tribute, and the festival’s closing street dance celebration.
With city departments and local partners working together, the festival was able to scale up its reach and grandeur. Ryan Saez of Headrush, head coordinator for all the events, worked closely with Flor and committee chair for tourism, Councilor Jason Villarosa, to execute inasal-themed exhibits and installations also at hotels and other public spaces, contributing to the immersive citywide atmosphere.
Villarosa said the strong turnout underscored the relevance of the event across demographics. “This was a people’s festival. Every site had its own flavor, but what united all of it was our pride in Bacolod chicken inasal,” he said in a statement.
City tourism officer Teresa Manalili confirmed that the turnout surpassed internal projections.
“Reaching over 80,000 attendees in just five days speaks volumes of how Bacolod is being rediscovered through food tourism,” Manalili said. “Locals, families, students, tourists, and balikbayans were eager to join the celebration.”
Now in its fifth year, the BCIF is steadily growing into one of Bacolod’s signature events. While not yet at the scale of long-established festivals, such as the MassKara or Bacolaodiat, its trajectory points to strong public engagement and cultural relevance, especially as food continues to play a central role in the city’s identity.
This festival’s tagline, “Take Me to Manokan Country”, resonated across the city, not only as a festival slogan but as a cultural invitation. While used metaphorically to refer to Bacolod as a culinary haven, it also called attention to the real Manokan Country itself: a city-established food strip created to house the original grillers from Cuadra Street. The local government’s commitment to preserving its culinary legacy will soon be seen in the redevelopment of Manokan Country into a modern, permanent landmark for generations to come.
With the festival now concluded, the city is preparing for post-event assessments to review the festival’s impact and explore further improvements for next year. Bacolod’s efforts to position itself as a gastronomic capital are clearly gaining ground, with this year’s turnout setting a new benchmark for future editions. ||
