Bacolaodiat Festival kicks off in Bacolod City
BACOLOD CITY — Bacolaodiat Festival 2010 will kick off today with a much-awaited myriad of activities featuring the Grand Light Parade and a Fireworks Show as the whole Filipino-Chinese community here in Bacolod and Negros Occidental welcomes the Chinese New Year.
Bacolaodiat Festival Committee Chair Councilor Homer Bais yesterday said that each year the people of Bacolod celebrate the Chinese New Year with a Festival of Food, Lights and Sounds through the Bacolaodiat which was coined from the name of the City and the Fookien word “Laodiat” which means happy celebration.
Bacolaodiat Festival was organized in 2006 with a simple celebration. Bais said that this year 2010, Bacolaodiat will be grandiose as it will have so many features such as the display of colorful lanterns, symphony of lights and sounds, fireworks display plus live band concerts every night, a Chopticks Alley lined up with lanterns and kiosks where the public can enjoy the best Chinese food in the city and the Lantern and Street Dancing Competition participated by the different towns, municipalities and schools.
The festival is now being managed by an independent body under the Bacolaodiat Inc., supported by 36 Chinese-Filipino organizations all over the province including local groups of visual artists and the Local Government Unit.
Bais said that in today’s celebration, there will be a Grand Lights Parade that will start at the Old City Hall to Lacson Street which is dubbed as the city’s Tourism Strip.
Meanwhile, Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, chair of the Bacolod Traffic Authority, appealed to the riding public to avoid Lacson Street especially beginning 5 p.m. since it will be temporarily closed until February 14 which will be the highlight of the celebration.
