With its high-flying aerial maneuvers and larger-than-life characters, the lucha libre tradition functions more like a living comic book deeply rooted in Latino culture. At its core, lucha libre is a timeless battle between good and evil, offering a high-energy escape where generations of spectators connect over a story.
“Lucha Libre was known for being more on the Mexican side, but in reality, it’s more than that; it’s a Latin culture. And what we’ve been seeing now is that is growing, reaching to Japan, Chile and now the rest of Latin America,” said Red Spider Rudo, one of several luchadors who will be fighting in live matches on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 5:30 p.m. at the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA).
It’s all part of a weekend-long lucha libre festival to celebrate MOLAA’s 30th anniversary. The museum’s Robert Gumbiner Sculpture Garden will even convert into a temporary ring to host luchadors from around the world.
The festival starts on Friday, Sept. 25, with a book launch, reception and Q&A with the authors of “Luchadores vs Everything”.
On Saturday, La Nueva Ola de Cumbia will be performing at 3:30 p.m. Primitivo Rios, bass player for the band, said they are honored to bring their musical heritage directly to a museum that is dedicated to showcasing diverse cultural art. Rios welcomed the opportunity to express their culture especially as his band works on a new album.
The group has spent over a decade playing high-energy Cumbia music. Members of the band are from Colombia, Peru, Nicaragua and Mexico.
“It’s always an honor when you get a chance to express who you are, what you bring, where you’re from, and share it with people,” Rios said.
For Rios, seeing the crowd embrace his heritage is what makes the performance rewarding. “What we’re doing with the art form — that we are choosing to provide into this world — is resonating with people that also care about culture, that also care about art. … It is very satisfying,” Rios said.
On Saturday night, Rudo is scheduled to clash in the ring against a packed lineup of legendary luchadores including El Cumbias, Kensei and Destiny. For Rudo, bringing the ring into the museum’s intimate outdoor space offers the exact type of close-up fan interaction he values as a performer.
“I’ve done small crowds and bigger venues. The small crowds you appreciate it more — you get to hear everybody, you get to react more, that’s more personal,” Rudo said. “It’s pretty cool.”
While this will be his first time at MOLAA, Rudo has a storied luchador career that started in 2005 and has taken him all over the world. But Rudo always remains eager to showcase his talent for local fans.
“To be at that venue like this, it’s going to be very exciting,” Rudo said.
On Sunday, the festival will host a slate of film screenings, like the 2024 short film, “El Luchador,” and the 1968 film “La Mujer Murciélago” (The Batwoman).’
Food vendors like De’mon Tyndell, owner of The Quesadilla Calling, will be at Sunday’s festivities to feed attendees. Tyndell, who began his quesadilla cart last year, said events like the lucha libre festival are a great opportunity to draw people into Long Beach.
“It’s a nice breath of fresh air to have, not only MOLAA, but to have a city that encourages people to come out and do things outdoors. It brings people together, and it gives the community something to do.”
Tyndell also notes that events like this could inspire the next generation of luchadors.
“What excites me the most is that not only is it going to touch people that are fans of wrestling, but it might train other wrestlers. There might be a little boy there or a little girl and they might see this and figure out, ‘This is what I wanna do.”
For the latest ticket availability, visit molaa.org.