Long Beach’s third annual Mariachi Festival will return this Saturday with a packed lineup of musicians, including an all-female ensemble who starred alongside Bad Bunny in this year’s Super Bowl halftime show.
Saturday’s free event at Veterans Park has taken on a special significance in the wake of federal immigration raids that hit communities across the region starting last summer.
It’s among the first major public events celebrating Latino culture in Long Beach since the city cancelled last year’s Dia De Los Muertos parade over fears it could be targeted by immigration officials.
“We took so much for granted before the community was hurting,” said Cindy Shea, who leads Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea. “I just think right now is the time to come together, and my job as a musician is to bring people together through music.”
District 7 Councilmember Roberto Uranga launched the event three years ago as a way to bring families together and “recognize the diversity of our city.”
Since then, its lineup and attendance have grown steadily to include nationally recognized acts alongside up-and-coming artists.
“Nothing speaks more about a culture than its music,” Uranga said.
Shea is looking forward to celebrating.
“The beauty of mariachi is that we are there for all occasions … the good and the bad,” Shea said in a phone interview.
Throughout her nearly three decades leading the band, she’s performed at countless birthday parties, celebrations of life and weddings.
Her main goal at nearly every gig: to get people on the dance floor.
“We will pull out the sad songs, the heartbreaker songs, but by the end of the show, we’re pretty known for getting people on their feet,” She said.
For his band’s first performance in Long Beach, Zeus Martinez is looking forward to introducing visitors to his requinto – essentially a smaller, higher-pitch guitar.
He’s gained a following online using the instrument to cover hits like Warren G’s “Regulate” and Dr. Dre’s “The Next Episode.”
Martinez described his sound as “a clash of Los Angeles cultures.”
He tries to capture what people may hear while waiting to cross the street at a Los Angeles intersection.
On any given day, you may hear “Juan Gabriel playing in one car and Dr. Dre playing in the other,” Martinez said.
Another band, Boleros with Attitude, connected with the event through headliner Julian Torres, a renowned mariachi artist who has performed at Dodger games, including at Game 1 of the 2024 World Series.
Torres is also the first mariachi singer to be signed by Snoop Dogg’s Death Row Records.
Here’s the full lineup for Saturday:
- Julian Torres
- Boleros with Attitude
- Fausto Cuevas y La Moderna
- Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea
- Mariachi A La Antigua
- Los Estrellas Ballet Folklórico
- Las Chicas Tristes
Mariachi Festival begins at noon this Saturday at Veterans Park, 101 E. 28th Street. It’s expected to run until 5 p.m.