Tanduay and the local government of Bacolod officially ushered the start of the Rum Festival in the City of Smiles in a media conference on August 2 at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC), where Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez, Councilor Jason Villarosa, Councilor Em Ang, and other city officials joined the Tanduay team in announcing the exciting events of the festival.
“We would like to make known that the home of the World’s No. 1 Rum is Bacolod City. So, this is a huge impact in terms of awareness of the City of Bacolod. Every time somebody drinks Tanduay Rum in another part of the country, they should be thinking of Bacolod,” said Bacolod City Mayor Albee Benitez.
Garry Homer Ong, National Marketing Manager, Tanduay Distillers also expressed Tanduay’s gratitude to the city government for helping make the Rum Festival one of the most anticipated events in the region.
“The Rum Festival is already popular, and the City of Smiles is the best place in the Philippines to hold it. Tanduay is grateful for Bacolod and the rest of Negros Occidental not just for the Rum Festival, but for providing us the quality sugarcane for our award-winning rums as well,” he said.
Tanduay has recently been declared the World’s Number 1 Rum, outselling competition for the sixth straight year. Its international business continues to grow, with its products now available in 18 countries outside of the Philippines. Bacolod is also becoming known globally as the “home of the world’s number #1 rum.”
ARTS, FOOD, AND MUSIC
To be held from August 12 to 20, this year’s Rum Festival features the highly anticipated events of barrel art, flairtending and mixology, and culinaria competitions, which have become fixtures in the annual celebration.
The barrel art competition, which will be held at Ayala Malls Capitol Central, trains a spotlight on the creative talent of Bacolod and its nearby cities. Contestants are asked to show their artistic prowess in painting an old Tanduay barrel, with their finished creations to be displayed at the mall.
Another crowd favorite is the flairtending and mixology contest, which is now a bigger event. Apart from bartenders from Bacolod, the competition has been opened to contestants from different cities in the country.
The culinaria competition likewise will be held at the Food Park, among concessionaires to highlight rum-infused food. The Food Park is also a staple in the festival and features some of the best dishes that Bacolod has to offer.
On its last day, the Rum Festival will have three exciting events – the announcement and awarding of winners of the barrel art competition, the finals of the flairtending and mixology contest, and the much awaited music festival. This year’s guest artist is no less than Eraserheads frontman Ely Buendia, who are expected to delight fans with the popular alternative band’s classics.
The Rum Festival partners include Asia Brewery, Philippine Airlines, Seda Capitol Central and Ayala Malls Capitol Central.
More information on the Tanduay Bacolod Rum Festival can be found by following the official Tanduay Rum Festival in social media accounts.*
