The Smile Has a Story Behind It
BACOLOD - The phrase "City of Smiles" can sound like a simple tourism slogan until you learn where it came from. MassKara began in the 1980s during a difficult period for Negros, when the sugar industry was suffering from a major downturn and the community was also dealing with the tragedy of the MV Don Juan disaster. The festival's smiling masks became a way for Bacolodnons to respond to a difficult time with celebration rather than allowing hardship to define the city. That history gives the smile a different meaning: it is not about pretending that problems do not exist, but about choosing joy and togetherness despite them. Decades later, MassKara remains one of Bacolod's strongest cultural symbols, with dancing, masks, music, food, and celebrations bringing that story back to the streets. So when visitors see a smiling MassKara mask, they are seeing more than a colorful souvenir—it represents an important chapter in how Bacolod came to understand itself.
You Can Taste Bacolod's History
Food is another reason the city's identity is so easy to recognize. Chicken inasal may be the dish most strongly associated with Bacolod, and the city even declared it a cultural property in 2022. But the city's food culture stretches beyond grilled chicken, with dishes such as kansi, KBL, piaya, and other sweets reflecting the wider culinary traditions of Negros. The connection to sugar is particularly visible in Bacolod's desserts and pastries, making the influence of the province's agricultural history something visitors can literally taste. Even modern establishments sometimes incorporate that history into their spaces: one McDonald's at The Upper East, for example, features a century-old sugarcane train and design elements inspired by the former Bacolod-Murcia Milling Company complex. That is what makes Bacolod's food experience more than simply finding something delicious—it is a way of encountering the city's history through everyday meals, snacks, and places to eat.
Old Bacolod and New Bacolod Are Growing Side by Side
Walk around Bacolod today and you can see a city that is changing without completely leaving its past behind. The Upper East, for example, occupies the former site of the historic Bacolod-Murcia Milling Company and has developed into a mixed-use township with residential, commercial, office, and lifestyle spaces. At the same time, heritage attractions, local food establishments, festivals, and traditions continue to give the city a character that cannot simply be created through new buildings. This contrast is one of the most interesting things about Bacolod: sugar-era history can sit alongside contemporary restaurants, modern residential developments, cafés, hotels, and business districts. The city is therefore neither frozen in its past nor completely disconnected from it. It is a place where an old sugar mill can become part of a modern neighborhood, where a traditional dish can become the centerpiece of a city festival, and where a festival born during hardship continues to shape the city's image. That mixture is perhaps the simplest answer to the question of what makes Bacolod, Bacolod.
