OCTOBER

Zamboanga Hermosa

This festival is celebrated in dedication to Nuestra Senora del Pilar, the patron saint of the city and is held from 10 to 12 October. Some of the activities featured during this festival are cultural performances, exhibitions, religious ceremonies, regattas and of course, the selection of Miss Zamboanga.

Masskara Festival

On the weekend nearest to 19 October, the biggest party in Bacalod is scheduled to take place. Bacalod is the capital city of the country's sugar-producing province of Bocalenos. The Masskara Festival comes from the word masskara meaning 'mask' and 'many faces'. This festival was first thought of in 1980 to enliven up the city's celebration of its Charter Day anniversary. A smiling mask, which is the symbol of the fiesta was conceived by the organizers to show the happy spirit of the Negrenses despite experiencing bad times in the sugar industry.

People from all over the islands of Visayas crowd to the town plaza throughout the week to join in with the locals in partying and having a great time in mask-making contests, greased-pig catching games, sack races, pole climbing and many other contests as well as sports competitions.

Masks take center stage at the Sunday Masskara parade as brightly clothed-men and women wearing mask of dimpled, grinning and laughing faces made from clay or papier-mâché dance on the streets. Every group of organizations is represented in the festival as they compete for prizes in the selecting process that will take place in the afternoon.