Photo of Issac Delgado courtesy of Suena Cubano.
It began in 2002 at the Queen Mary and for each year following, the Mi Son Cubano Festival brought Cuban culture, music, and grub to LA County on a level previously unseen. That is, until it suddenly went on hiatus three years ago.
Thank the Cuban gods, it is back (and not in San Dimas as it had been a few times).
Now dubbed the LA Cuban Festival, Long Beach’s Rainbow Lagoon will welcome all things Cuban, including Grammy award-winning salsa icon by way of Havana, Issac Delgado come July 13. Co-founder of NG La Banda (the band that created timba), Delgado went solo in the early 90s and became a side-by-side performer with the likes of Celia Cruz and Grupo Niche while becoming an innovator within salsa music. His 1994 hit, “La Sandunguita,” altered salsa music with its mixture of timba and salsa.
Joining Delgado will be Miami-based timba group Timalive, who will be making a pitstop in Long Beach while on their worldwide tour, as well as local Grammy-nominated salsa band Charanga Cubana, DJ Warapo and SuperDj Robby. Cuban music and actress Paloma Morales who will serve as the emcee for the evening.
“The festival disappeared mainly due to the economy,” said festival organizer Benny Garcia. “There have been many festivals in Los Angeles in the past 20 years that have disappeared because of finances and lack of support but this one has always remained popular.”
For those fearful that the festival’s agenda will interfere with the World Cup, fear not: they will be screening the final futbol game on a large screen when the game begins at noon on July 13.
The LA Cuban Festival will be held on Sunday, July 13 at Rainbow Lagoon Park in Long Beach. Pre-sale tickets are $30 and VIP tickets are $45 available online at www.fiestalegre.net.
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