Latinx Artists and Fans Are Finally the Main Characters of Their Own Music Festivals
The newest festival, La Onda, in Napa Valley, promises to embrace the diversity of Spanish-language music and the history of these very specific festivals as well as the untapped audience they cater to.
Not long ago, to enjoy a great Latin music festival in the past meant taking a trip to Latin America. Latinx people traveled far and wide—to Mexico City for Tecate Pa'l Norte, to Spain for Primavera Sound, or to Chile or Argentina to catch an iteration of Lollapalooza—to see their favorite reggaetonero or música Mexicana stars live. But that’s all changing, finalmente.
Spanish music is now among the most consumed and streamed globally (2024 is the year of Bad Bunny), and that success has translated into more Spanish-language festivals popping up in the States catered specifically to Latinx people living in the US. The newest festival, La Onda, in Napa Valley, promises to embrace the diversity of Spanish-language music and the history of these very specific festivals as well as the untapped audience they cater to.
In the last few years, Latinx artist have started to be taken more seriously on the festival circuit with fests like Coachella, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, and Governors Ball booking Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Rosalía, and Karol G as headliners alongside names like Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey, and Kendrick Lamar. But seeing El Conejo at Coachella is different than seeing him in a setting that caters to Latinx people, and with an audience that is more likely to be able to rap along in Spanish.
“For me, my relationship with music is directly tied with my relationship to Latine culture,” says Brenda Barrientos, who attended Tropicalia in 2019 and plans to attend Sueños this year. “So whenever I get the opportunity to attend a Latine music festival I jump at the opportunity. Growing up [in the US] there weren't many of these types of festivals to opt-in to, and attending these types of festivals allows me to embrace the essence and the multitudes of different cultures that are present.”
One of the first major music festivals in the US to feature a bill of all Spanish-language acts sprung up in Miami, the epicenter of Latin music, in 2020. Right before the world shut due to the pandemic, the first iteration of Vibra Urbana, which highlighted only reggaeton music, took place. Among the artists that performed were Rauw Alejandro, Jhayco, and Myke Towers, who have since become Puerto Rican superstars. The bill also featured dembow music (a subgenre of reggaeton from the Dominican Republic) courtesy of El Alfa. Over on the west coast, one of the first festivals to break ground for Latin music was Tropicalia. The first iteration of that festival took place in 2017 in Long Beach, California with an eclectic bill that included música Mexicana from Los Tigres Del Norte, the alternative R&B of Kali Uchis, reggaeton pioneer Ivy Queen, and alternative group Café Tacvba. Tropicalia eventually expanded into the greater Los Angeles area for its last hurrah in 2019 with acts like Omar Apollo and The Marías, who largely appeal to bicultural Latinx in the States, joining the line-up.
This past February, Vibra Urbana returned to Miami with Alejandro, Anuel AA, and Argentine producer Bizarrap leading the bill and iterations of Vibra Urbana popped up in Orlando in 2021 and Las Vegas in 2022. Though Tropicalia is no more, the people behind that event kicked off the first Besame Mucho Festival in Los Angeles in 2022 with a stacked line up of rock en español, música Mexicana, and Latin pop icons. The festival has since branched out with a second iteration in Austin, Texas this year.
The newest festival in the trend: La Onda. Spanish-language acts will take over Napa Valley on June 1 and 2 with a diverse lineup that highlights the variety of Latin music. Saturday night will be led by two different generations of música Mexicana stars, Alejandro Fernández, who represents traditional ranchera music, and Junior H, a young pioneer of the corridos tumbados movement. Along with artists like Natanael Cano and Peso Pluma, Junior H has revamped the age-old corrido with a trap-infused twist. On Saturday, another rising star in corridos tumbados will take the stage: Gabito Ballesteros, who has collaborated with all the aforementioned names.
"I'm very happy and proud to represent the Mexican flag with the corridos tumbados movement," Ballesteros told Thrillist. "Each day we're updating and doing new things with música Mexicana. People are always asking for our music and I'm working with my team and my co-writers every day to give them the best that I can."
Sunday will be headlined by another top corridos tumbados group, Fuerza Regida, and Mexican rockers Maná. The latter group’s edgy songs represent the younger música Mexicana listeners while the former’s hits are rooted in nostalgia for our parents, aunts, uncles, and now us. For a good throwback, Maldita Vecindad and Allison will also be ready to rock for their fans. But the one act you shouldn’t miss is the Mexican-American band that has revamped sierreño with sad boy soul, Eslabon Armado. Along with Peso Pluma, Eslabon Armado helped globalize música Mexicana last year with their hit collaboration "Ella Baila Sola." With their combined forces, they scored the first top 10 for the genre on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. With roots on both sides of the US-Mexico border, Eslabon Armado’s music captures the bicultural spirit and experience of Mexicans growing up in the states.
"We can be at a concert and we'll be singing one song and we see one fan on our right side crying their eyes out and later we'll see them screaming excitedly," Pedro Tovar, Eslabon Armado's lead singer, recalls. "Maybe that's why people like us, because of our songs, they cry because of our sad songs when they break up with someone and they're happy because they're dedicating our love songs to a special someone."
Reggaeton will be present with Puerto Rican superstar Farruko, who has since taken a spiritual route with the genre following the success of his partying and pill-popping anthem "Pepas." Mexican pop princess Danna, who recently dropped her last name Paola, will represent the new wave of Latin pop music. Genre-on-the-rise, reggaeton Mexa, will also be well represented at the festival. Following Puerto Rico, Panama, and Colombia, Mexico is becoming a hub for reggaeton music. The artist leading that movement is Yng Lvcas. Peso Pluma dabbled in reggaeton for the first time with him on the remix of "La Bebe," which impressively peaked at No. 11 on the Hot 100 chart.
"I'm happy and excited to represent reggaeton mexa," Yng Lvcas says. "Aside from me, there's a lot of colleagues of mine who are putting out great music and getting our Mexican reggaeton flow out there. Today, we have the courage and strength to say, 'We weren't here before, but we're here now!' ¡Viva México!"
Latinx aren't a monolith, and neither is Latin music, and the new wave of Latin music festivals are proving that by booking a diverse array of genres and talent. In addition to La Onda in Napa, Sueños Music Festival and Miche Fest will both bring Spanish-speaking crowds to Chicago, Illinois this summer. And for Latinx living in the US, like Barrientos, “it's still heartwarming to be in a space with others who appreciate the power in community.”