• CHERYL G. CRUZ
About a hundred food kiosks and tents, as well as food trucks, are expected to be set up at the North Capitol Road and Lacson Tourism Strip on Feb. 9-11, for the 19th Bacolaodiat Festival, to usher in the new Lunar Year.
These include 25 to 30 tents, and about seven food trucks for the Chopsticks Alley at North Capitol Road, and 60 tents for the inasalan and other concessionaires from 6th to 10th streets along Lacson.
Bacolaodiat Festival chairman John Stephen Sy has sought permission from the Sangguniang Panlungsod to also allow establishments in Lacson to set up their own kiosks. “The ingress will be on Feb. 6 at 9 a.m., and egress on Feb. 12, clear by 12 noon”.
The SP approved Sy’s requests, except for the setting up of kiosks at the North Capitol Road for Chopsticks Alley tenants, since the area is owned by the provincial government of Negros Occidental.
Councilor Celia Flor also said during the SP deliberations Jan. 24 that all tenants/concessioners should secure necessary permits from the city.
The Bacolaodiat Inc., organizer of this year’s festivity, also earlier requested approval from the city to close the North Capitol Road and a portion of Aguinaldo Street on Feb. 5 to 11, for festival activities and to give way for ingress and egress; and partial road closure from 5th to 15th Lacson Streets from Feb. 7 to 12, also for festival activities.
Aside from the Chopsticks Alley and the Imperial Village at the North Capitol Road, there will also be “A Night in the Middle Kingdom” cultural show, featuring performances from Chinese schools in Bacolod;
Street dance competition on Feb. 9 starting at 4 p.m., and lantern dance competition, Feb. 10, at 6 p.m., both from 15th Street to North Capitol Road; and a “Symphony of Lights & Sparks” grand fireworks display on Feb. 10.
Sy said the Year of the Wood Dragon celebration “highlights change and growth, yet still grounded on the influence of the assimilation of the Filipino-Chinese cultures in Bacolod City.”
This Bacolaodiat Festival 2024 envisions to make brighter, more interactive activities, aside from institutionalized crowd-drawing events, Sy said, adding that crowd segments include parents, young adults, and teenagers – this being a thematically wholesome and culturally entertaining festival.” | CGC
