This was the message of Bacolod City Mayor Albee Benitez during the VIP & Sponsors’ Gala held at the Stonehill Suites.

“We want to give back what we have lost during the pandemic. It is very important that this coming Masskara Festival 2022 is where we should give more effort to make it a very successful event,” the mayor said.

The 43rd celebration of this year’s Masskara Festival will be starting October 1 – 23, 2022.

The local government of Bacolod, headed by Mayor Albee Benitez and the Bacolod Yuhum Foundation, headed by Atty Pinky Mirano-Ocampo, will make this year’s festival the grandest ever.

The festival will be divided in three parts. The first week will be devoted to the Masskara Olympics, the second week to trade fairs and conventions, and the third week to cultural events and performances.

The mayor said that this allows visitors to choose the events and activities they want to attend. The mayor also mentioned that they are targeting 200,000 visitors for the festival.

In preparation for the influx of tourists, the city government is looking for available Airbnb facilities with hotels running out of accommodation.

The mayor added that he is also asking Frank Carbon for additional ferry trips from Iloilo to Bacolod.

He also confirmed that he formally invited President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family to attend the festival in Masskara.