Student and professional mariachi musicians from the U.S. and Mexico will showcase their talents during the eighth annual Mariachi Festival from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. March 8 at Bayside Park in celebration of Mexican heritage and binational identity.
“It’s really important for us to feel that connection to our families, to our culture, to our history so we feel grounded as a community… We become enriched with two cultures and I think letting the public know that — it’s wonderful, it’s something to be proud of,” National City Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jacqueline Reynoso said.
She added that the festival, presented by the National City Chamber of Commerce and the Port of San Diego in collaboration with the city of Chula Vista, not only empowers Mexican-Americans in the South Bay to take pride in their culture, but also acts as a local economic stimulus.
More than 80 local artisans and retail vendors are planning to set up shop at the festival. There will also be an Estrella Jalisco Beer Garden and more than 16 food vendors, including La Enchilada and ¡SALUD! Other attractions include a fashion show featuring Mexican designers presented by Chula Vista’s LBM Talent Academy, a petting zoo, pony rides and face painting.
Performances will take place throughout the day, with a middle school mariachi competition starting at 12 p.m. and a high school mariachi competition starting at 2:05 p.m.
Student competitions will be judged by renowned mariachi musician Jose “Pepe” Martinez Junior and his Los Angeles based mariachi ensemble Mariachi Angeles de Pepe Martínez Junior. Martinez’ father “Don Pepe” led Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, a mariachi group founded in 1898, for more than 40 years. The group has performed all around the world and is “the gold standard of mariachi music” according to the San Diego Symphony.
Martinez was a leading member of Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán for more than 25 years until he took his leadership to Mariachi Angeles.
Fredd Sanchez is the director of Mariachi at Sweetwater High School and teaches mariachi at National City Middle School, where his students have been putting in hours of practice to wow Martinez and his mariachi ensemble at the festival.
Though he looks forward to seeing his students’ hard work come to life onstage, Sanchez said it’s not just the culminating moments of performance that are gratifying to him — it’s seeing students who have lost connection with their culture rediscover it.
“Kids that have never liked mariachi or paid attention to it or knew what it was, six months or a year later they come back with excitement like ‘Hey, Mr. Sanchez look at this song!” Sanchez said.
He added that the festival provides the opportunity for students to connect with their community and opens up new avenues for conversations with friends and family about culture.
“I would encourage everyone to not only come, but to support their local arts groups,” Sanchez said.
In addition to mariachi performances, Danza Mexi’cayotl will perform traditional Aztec dances at the festival.
According to the Danza Mexi’cayotl website, “La Danza Azteca is a modern mystic folk/indigenous dance tradition of Central Mexico based on the cultural legacy of the Chichimec/Otomi tradition warrior tribes that lived north of the Aztec empire at the time of Spanish invasion.”
Danza Mexi’cayotl co-founder and lead dancer Beatrice Zamora-Aguilar said the intergenerational dance is a way of giving thanks to the mother spirit and expressing the beauty of family.
“Our dance is an oral tradition that has been passed on for hundreds of years from the interior of Mexico. Our dances represent not only our culture but pre-Columbian thoughts and prayers,” Zamora-Aguilar said.
To purchase tickets or find out more about VIP tickets, visit mariachifest.com/tickets.
