A rousing success

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor GUILLERMO TEJIDA III Desk Editor NANETTE L. GUADALQUIVER Busines Editor CEDELF P. TUPAS Sports Editor (On Leave) RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

After all is said and done, it can now be said that this year's MassKara and Charter Day Celebration has been one of the best so far. Congratulations are in order for the organizers of this year's festivities, who have produced another fun filled 21 days for the people of Bacolod, culminating in a weekend that showcased the creativity and resiliency of the Bacoleño.

The new addition to the MassKara weekend, the first Electric MassKara held along Lacson Street, was a rousing success in the way it attracted a whole new and untapped market of Bacoleños who had become jaded with MassKara and did not want to bother themselves with the sweltering heat and the massive crowd at the Bacolod public plaza, content with staying home during the MassKara festivities. The formula of tapping the higher end establishments along Lacson Street and turning a significant stretch of that major artery into a giant night time street party apparently worked and made this year exceptionally different when the whole of Bacolod literally came out and rubbed elbows again in the name of MassKara in spite of the not-so-perfect weather and the terrible news of the terror attack at Glorietta. For having achieved the unthinkable, the organizers should take a bow.

The older, more established attractions, like the Charter Day Countdown, the MassKara Queen Pageant, and the MassKara Parades, as usual, were also successes. The organizers didn't have to constantly improve on a tested and proven concept, but the primary reason why people from all over the world still flock to Bacolod on this particular weekend, year after year, is the dedication and panache of the organizers and the people of Bacolod . MassKara's continued success is derived from its ability to toe the delicate line between the crass commercialism of today and the fiercely independent creative spirit that was one of the driving forces that led to the creation of the first MassKara festival 28 years ago.

Over the years, the MassKara festival has become a Negrense institution. As such, it is in our best interests to ensure that it continues to thrive, improve, impress, and evolve without losing touch with its original intent. The success of this year's celebration of MassKara is a confirmation that the institution is in good hands.*