Bago City is a 20 to 30 minutes drive south of Bacolod City by private
car. Public utility vehicles abound in this first stop over
going south of the provincial capital.
Car rental facilities are available through reservation. All roads leading to all barangays in the city are asphalted.
Bago City is bounded on north by Bacolod City, on the northwest by Guimaras Strait, on the southwest by the towns of Pulupandan and Valladolid, on the east by the cities of San Carlos and Canlaon and on the south by La Carlota City.
Bago
was founded by an Augustinian priest, Father Geronimo Marin, on June
24, 1575, coinciding with the feast of St. John the Baptist.
Spanish historian, Diego de Povedano wrote that the community was named
after a large tree called “Bago” under which a native prince Mapagic
died. 
Another version, however, noted that the name came from the shrub, bago-bago that grew abundantly in the riverbanks. Around the 17th and 18th Centuries, settlers from Molo, Iloilo formed a little village at the mouth of Bago River, presently a rich source of sand and gravel. The village grew into a large settlement prompting its elders to pass a petition for its conversion into a town or pueblo, which was granted in 1800.
Bago became a city on February 19, 1966 by virtue of Republic Act No. 4382 with then Mayor Manuel Y. Torres as first city mayor, holding over from his election in 1959. Bago City is a top rice producer in the province and is home to industries like the Maao Sugar Central, Viva Mineral water bottling plant, Ginebra San Miguel distilled products and the Alter Trade muscovado mill, among others. It is host to the 40 to 80 megawatts capacity PNOC-EDC’s Northern Negros Geothermal Project that will be commissioned in early 2007.
Festivals
Babaylan Festival - of all figures in the history of Negros Island, the Babaylan is the most colorful and enduring. The Babaylan is a doctor, herbalist, artist, medium, adviser, agriculturist and more, all rolled in one very interesting character. He is the keeper of rituals and spirit agents in normal world. He inspires awe and fear.
The Babaylan Festival was conceived to highlight a unique brand of Filipino heritage, one that dates back to the pre-Spanish period. The festival aims to rediscover the region’s indigenous music, literature, dances, rituals and other artistic endeavors.
Al
Cinco de Noviembre or Cannon Festival is a historical
festival that
commemorates the Negrenses’ bloodless revolt against the Spaniards led
by Gen. Juan A. Araneta in 1898.
In commemoration of that historic bluff that freed Negros from Spanish
Conquestadores in 1898, the City Government of Bago celebrates that
event with gleeful reminiscence and pride for the great General and his
gallant men from this city who were armed with courage and ingenuity
who played a great role in the history of Negros.
Spanish authorities in Bacolod capitulated after seeing advancing
troops armed with rifles and cannons which were actually nipa stalks
and rolled sawali mats painted black.
Al Cinco de Noviembre showcases not only the courage and gallantry but
also the creativity and ingenuity of the Bagonhon. November 5 has been
declared a holiday in Negros Occidental.
The
feast of St. John the Baptist - Bago City 
was founded on June 24,
1575 falling on the Feast day of St. John the Baptist, the patron saint
of the city.
In celebration of this historic and religious event, the City
Government sponsors various activities such as the Balsa race which
takes off at Brgy. Atipuluan and finishes in Bantayan Boulevard, Brgy.
Poblacion.