Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Wednesday he is eyeing some 200,000 tourists during the 43rd MassKara Festival, which returns in October two years after it was shelved due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

“We want to make it the event of the year, if not the decade,” he told reporters.

Benitez said the organizers led by festival director Pinky Mirano-Ocampo have already started planning the activities.

“They are scheduled to have a presentation with the City Council to update them on the preparations being done,” he added.

The MassKara Festival is held every October, with an ordinance setting the fourth Sunday of October as the permanent date of the highlights.

In 2020, for the first time in four decades, Bacolod did not celebrate the world-famous festival of “many faces” as the city battled the rising cases of Covid-19 along with the rest of the world.

Bacolodnons then marked the festival with various virtual events, including the airing of the festival’s champion performances.

During the 42nd edition last year, the city’s traffic enforcers kept the spirit of the festivity alive during the “Best Dancing Traffic Enforcer” competition.

They showcased their street dance skills to the medley of favorite MassKara music while wearing colorful Mardi gras masks and black face masks. (PNA)