The Europeans of Plaza 6 de Noviembre

The Bacolod City bandstand is the centerpiece of Plaza 6 de Noviembre

Bacolod City, the capital of Negros Occidental, has a rich (literally rich!) history, with its belle époque years set at the height of the sugarcane industry. In one of my sojourns, I made a lazy stroll on the city’s plaza, where my attention was  caught by its American-era bandstand.  What makes it interesting are the names of famous classic European composers inscribed on the sides of its roof.

The plaza's and the city's welcome arc. You know you're in the heart of Bacolod when you're here! 

The band stand is set at the heart of Bacolod City’s public plaza, officially called Plaza del 6 de Noviembre, after the day the Spanish surrendered of to the Negros revolutionaries.

The usual setup of a Spanish pueblo places the public square at the heart of the community. The plaza stands right in front of San Sebastian Cathedral, which looks straight ahead at the bandstand. Interestingly the municipio is nowhere to be found today. The Spanish governor’s building stood right opposite the church, but the  Bacolod City Hall has long since moved somewhere else in 2010.

The San Sebastian Cathedral, the oldest church in Negros, faces the plaza. 

The plaza has seen better days during the American period, when Bacolod was at the height of her glory as a bustling commercial and social capital.

Back  to the bandstand... Look closely this ornate polygonal. Neo-classical gazebo catches you will notice the name of Mozart, Wagner, Haydn and Beethoven on the entablature.  Long ago, concerts were regularly held in this public structure and  the works of the classic composers were played. Constructed in 1926 and inaugurated in 1927, the bandstand and the entire plaza has since served as the city’s recreational, political, spiritual and cultural space.

It is liveliest during the Masskara Celebration, which happens every third weekend of October to celebrate the city's Charter Anniversary. The Masskara street dancing completion finds its way here.

So, when you happen to dropby the plaza, take some idle walk around, imagine it is one, fine summer evening. The moon beams and stars sparkle. The crowd looks towards the bandstand, quiet and focused, captured by the musician’s rendition of Mozart or Beetheven. Ah, yes, the good life, indeed!