A longer chopsticks alley, synchronized fireworks display, and illuminated floats are just among the featured attractions of this year's BacoLaodiat Festival to be held from Feb. 7-10 in Bacolod City .

Bacolaodiat event manager Marivic Rio yesterday said they want the Festival to become a major destination for the Chinese New Year not just in the province but all over the country.

She said the main festival site for this year's celebration will be the Capitol Shopping Center where the roots of the Chinese community came from. The activities will be held mainly at the 6 th Street all the way to Lacson and the Capitol Lagoon, she added.

Rio said this year's BacoLaodiat Festival will feature a synchronized fireworks display they call “Symphony of Lights and Sparks ” and the lighting up of installations at the Lagoon on the first day with Mayor Evelio Leonardia and other officials to open the BacoLaodiat Festival. Twelve animal installations will be put up by Charlie Co, who is handling the designs, at the Lagoon where people can go and have their pictures taken, she added.

Rio said there will be a longer chopsticks alley along 6 th Street up to McDonalds which will be lined up with kiosks that will sell Chinese delis and products, as well as, nightly entertainment to sustain the activity. She said they are getting local bands and are negotiating with celebrities to come over and join the celebration.

Rio said this time they have incorporated a lantern and streetdancing competition on the third day which will mainly focus on choreography and lantern design. A parade of illuminated floats, dragons and lions will start at 6 p.m. and this will be joined in by the 34 Chinese organizations from the northern and southern Negros , she added.

This year's theme is “strength and unity” since it has always been a principle of the Chinese that when there are two people, there will be always strength and opportunity and other activities include a tour of the Chinese temples, she said.

Leonardia said the BacoLaodiat started in 2005 after his talks with Iloilo Mayor Jerry Treñas when he visited Iloilo to observe the Chinese Festival celebration there. He, together with the Chinese group in Bacolod , then decided to put one up in the city.

The two previous BacoLaodiat Festival celebrations were big successes and the way it looks, the third will even outdo the others, Leonardia said. “As our philosophy in Bacolod , we always say we will try to do better than our best as we have done with the MassKara Festival,” he said. So that should also be the criteria for the BacoLaodiat, he added.

Meanwhile, William Ong, chairman of the 2008 BacoLaodiat Festival committee, said they consider 2008 a very lucky year for mankind. He said a date like August 8, 2008 comes once in a hundred years.

Other members of the 2008 BacoLaodiat Festival committee are Crispin Chua – vice chairman, Lily Go – treasurer, Mary Tian – secretary, and members are Diotay Lopue, Teresa Gochangco, Charlie Co, Hugo Corral Jr. and Secretary to the Mayor Goldwyn Nifras.*CGS

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