BY NYARIKA DOMANAIS
BACOLOD City – This city is expecting over 20,000 tourists during this year’s edition of the Bacolod Chicken Inasal Festival from May 24 to 26.
With a vision to create platforms and portals for both global and national audiences, the festival is poised to celebrate Bacolod’s rich culinary heritage, particularly its famous chicken inasal, and vibrant culture like never before.
City Councilor Jason Villarosa, chairman of the Sangguniang Panlungsod committee on tourism, said in an interview with Panay News that they expect more tourists to join this year’s Chicken Inasal Festival.
Last year, he said around 18,000 to 20,000 tourists from Manila, Cebu, and Iloilo took part in the celebration.
The city government has allocated P2 million for the festival that would be staged in three venues: Megaworld-Upper East, SM City Bacolod, and Ayala Malls Capitol Central.
Organizers of this year’s Bacolod Chicken Inasal Festival recently launched dance competitions as added attractions to the annual event.
To take chicken inasal global, new events include the dance challenge and modern movement competition as well as the global beats or street dance competition.
Other events include Food Tasting & Beer Pairing, Barangay Inasal Cook-Off & Workshops, Bacolod Chicken Inasal Awards.
The first Bacolod Chicken Inasal Festival was held in 2018 and was followed by another in 2019 before taking a three-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In 2023, the festival returned with the showcase of a 320-meter-long chicken grilling station cooked by some 70 concessionaires at Megaworld’s The Upper East./PN
