MassKara events at SM City bring in thousands of revelers    

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The MassKara Festival events in Bacolod City close this weekend with the much-anticipated dance parade.

After two years of the festival’s hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the events in tourism, business, sports, entertainment, and leisure that were staged city-wide by the local government, through the festival organizer, the Bacolod Yuhum Foundation Inc., brought the bustle back to the city.

SM City Bacolod attests to the energy and excitement of the revamped festival as seen by the thousands, who throng to the mall daily for the MassKara experience. Host of some of the festival’s biggest events, SM mall officials observe the return to pre-pandemic capacity.

CHARITY DINNER. First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos was the guest of honor at the MassKarade Ball Charity Dinner at SMX Convention Center Oct. 21, and she was joined by Vallacar Transit Inc. co-founder Olivia Yanson, and Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Benitez, while (lower photo) Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez escorts his girlfriend, Sue Ramirez, to the gala.

“The crowd really wants to take part and experience the MassKara Festival, the most exciting event in Bacolod for the year,” May Castro, SM Bacolod public relations manager, said in a statement.

The MassKara Festival events that were brought to SM City Bacolod covered the realms of sports and e-sports, beauty and entertainment, leisure, lifestyle, concerts and causes. It all attracted thousands of revelers.

SM mall also celebrates its Super Month, a tribute to its founder, Henry Sy Sr., adding more to the festival by way of the ultimate shopping and malling experience through its month-long sales and treats.

The mall also hosted one of the causes supported by the Yuhum Foundation, the MassKarade Ball, at the SMX Convention Center Oct. 21. The Charity Dinner was joined by big names in society, entertainment and politics, with First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte, as guests of honor.

Also at the Charity Dinner were Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Benitez and honorary festival chairman Jojie Dingcong.

The event aimed to raise funds for the benefit of Operation Smile, a surgical mission for cleft palate cases.

Celebrities sighted at the MassKarade Ball include Tim Yap, Derek Ramsey, Ellen Adarna, Paul Ledesma, Kristine Ledesma, Marlon Suarez, Alodia Gosiengfiao, Christopher Sebastian Quimbo, Pops Fernandez, and the Tropang LOL gang, among others.

Bacolod and Negros Occidental’s A-listers and political stalwarts were also seen mingling with the stars at the gala. The MassKarade Ball at SMX Convention Center in SM City Bacolod was a grand night of revelry and celebration for a good cause, and for the MassKara Festival comeback.

A partner in the city government’s efforts to revive the economy, SM continues to host vaccination drives, health certificate issuances, and other processing facilities of national government agencies.

As vaccination coverage widens and the pandemic regulations are relaxed, the mall continues to adhere to its safety and sanitation policies while bringing back events, introducing new and loved brands to Bacolod, and creating more spaces for families and friends to gather for meetings, business and leisure.

At a media event this week, Mayor Benitez mentioned that SM Group’s mall officials and affiliates in retail, hotel operations, and residential projects visited his office.

He re-echoed what George Jardiolin, SM Bacolod mall manager, shared to him about SM’s development plans, including a BPO tower, carpark building, and the National University that is currently under construction.

Likewise, the city can expect more developments from SM Development Corporation that would change the urban residential landscape of Bacolod in the years to come.

Jardiolin also stressed the contribution to employment and investment as the property continues to expand. ||