EXPLORING KAON FESTIVAL!
SILAY FOOD FESTIVAL 2024 at BALAY NEGRENSE
When we went to KAON TA! Silay Food Festival, everything seems relaxed. People were chatting and enjoying great food and drinks from local sources. Well, not only there's acoustic music and songs being belted at a open air event but also the place itself breathes essential history. Just beside the festival is the BALAY NEGRENSE and also the Cinco de Noviembre street.
KAON TA! is an event not only just for eating though. Going around the place, you will see art alive. There are local artist selling their crafts as well as kids yearning to have their face painted. There are also Cinco de Noviembre coloring books being sold for P500 and it's limited edition.
We got to see also a group of antique collectors who also sell rare stuff from Jollibee toys of yesteryears to Spanish era cabinets to obsolete Nokia phones which, by the way, are still working. These guys knew that there is money in a supposedly junk pieces or garbage to some. Memorable scenes included a sorbetero beside a Negrense-pride famous alcoholic drink Don Papa's tropical-themed booth. Ice cream and a spirit-filled beveage doesn't mix but they have one thing in common - a living heritage
And speaking of heritage, Silay has great amounts of it and it makes the night in the city romantic. You're like a traveler lost in time. Caught between two timelines. The remnants of past is too strong to ignore. s you roam around the city in a fiesta week, you'll be amazed how the old Spanish era-structures can still accommodate modern buildings and business such as McDonald's which utilizes one of the buildings beside the Plaza.
Meanwhile, Jollibee Silay designed its store in line with Silay's heritage rules, it's a respect to the living traditions every Silaynon and Negrense knew. Well, when passing in Silay when we were still kids it's like we are traveling to a portal of Spanish rule. Indeed, the romantic and nostalgic feeling you'll feel in Silay gives respect to the now popular line: Silay is the Paris of Negros.
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TRAVEL TIPS
HOW TO GET TO SILAY (From Bacolod)
1. Ride a Bata-Libertad Jeepney that will bring you to Bacolod North Terminal
2. Options:
You can either Ride a Ceres Bus or a Silay-Bacolod Jeepney
HOW TO GET BACK TO BACOLOD from SILAY:
- Wait for a Ceres Bus going to Bacolod at a Loading/Unloading Area in Silay
