The whole Tourism Strip covering 5th Street to 22 nd Street along Lacson St. will turn into one giant street party starting tonight until Sunday for the 6 th edition of the Electric MassKara, one of the highlights of the 33rd MassKara Festival.

Two floats of Majica MassKara, three floats of schools and two floats of corporations, and more than 20 giant MassKara puppets, will converge at the Tourism Strip at 9 p.m. today.

Before that, at 7 p.m., the city proper will turn into one giant stage as the floats take off from their respective origins and parade to the Tourism Strip, complete with cheerers and drumbeaters.

The theme of the Majica MassKara, now on its 9th year, dubbed “Ang Bukid kag Baybay sa Bacolod (The Mountain and the Sea in Bacolod)” highlights the geographical gift of Bacolod as a city where the mountains and the seas meet. It was conceptualized by Peque Gallaga and executed by seven emerging Bacolod artists led by Charlotte Rodriguez and Neil Benavente, under the direction of Charlie Co.

Three schools created their floats anchored on the Majica MassKara theme. These schools are the University of Saint La Salle (USLS), Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod (CSA-B), and the University of Negros Occidental—Recoletos (UNO-R). They will join the parade titled “Pagkilitaay, Pakitaay (We Meet And Show Off): Bacolod's Treasures Descend on the Tourism Strip.”

They will be joined by floats of International Pharmaceutical Inc. (IPI) and Petronas.

“The idea is to showcase how Bacolod is where the sea and the mountains meet, thus the lighted floats will carry figures and forms, creatures and characters from the seas on one hand, and the mountains on the other, to meet at Lacson St. during the first night of the Electric MassKara,” festival director Eli Tajanlangit explained.

The floats will be joined by 20 of this year's 73 giant MassKara puppets created by the La Consolacion College—School of Fine Arts, Architecture and Interior Design (ARFIEN).

The Majica float of mountain creatures installed at Panasiatic Solutions Call Center along Circumferential Road and the Majica float of sea creatures at Gaisano Grand Mall along Araneta St. will parade from their respective places starting 7 p.m.

The Panasiatic group, with their lighted cheerers and drumbeaters, will traverse from Lopue's East to Burgos St. to North Drive and will be joined by the floats of USLS and CSA-B with their own lighted cheerers and drumbeaters, and will proceed to North Drive-Lacson St. to enter the Tourism Strip a little before 9 p.m.

The Gaisano group, also with its own cheerers and drumbeaters, will be joined by UNO-R float from Lupit at Lacson St. and proceed to the south entrance of the Tourism Strip.

Tajanlangit said the main objective of the 6th Electric MassKara is to transform the Tourism Strip into the longest street party ever where people will be dancing on the street, not just watching others dance or sing.

There will be eight music stations all over the Tourism Strip, with DJs (disc kockeys) playing music.

“This year's Electric MassKara is a distillation of the things that we have done and have not yet done. One can see new and old things, innovations and all of that because of our experience in the last years,” Tajanlangit said.

The floats will be stationed at various places as the party swings along the strip, he said. Later, two of these floats will transfer to the Bacolod Public Plaza where they will stay until Oct. 22, while the others will stay at the Tourism Strip until Sunday, and will be lighted at night, also as photo opportunity installations.

DAY 2

On Saturday (Oct. 20) the second night of the Electric MassKara, ten barangays will participate in the performing float competition at 8 p.m. These are Brgys. 2, 7, 23, 30, 33, 35, 38, 40, Taculing, and Tangub.

The competition will feature elaborately dressed MassKara dancers atop elegantly designed floats, accompanied by musicians.

The floats will start at the Rizal St. of SM City Bacolod up to the Rizal side of the Bacolod public plaza, and will be ferried to the 5th St.-Lacson St. where they will resume their performance all the way to the 22nd St.

DAY 3

On Sunday (Oct. 21), the third night of Electric MassKara, the winners of the performing float competitions will come back for a Winners' Showdown at 7 p.m.

The Top 20 winners of the Nights of Mardi Gras will also join the showdown.

The full cast of 73 giant MassKara Puppets will also return on the third night, to entertain guests along the Tourism Strip from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., LCC ARFIEN dean architect Rialino Alisbo said.*

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