Every summer since 1994, Guadalajara hosted the International Mariachi Festival (or Encuentro Internacional del Mariachi). The festival pulls the most talented Mariachi bands from all over the world, Mexicans, and music lovers from all over Latin America to the city’s main streets to celebrate Mariachi music. The festival features concerts, band performances, parades, rodeos, art exhibitions, and amazing food. For many, it’s the height of their summer.
Since the start of the pandemic, many festivals and physical events have been affected by the ever-changing travel laws, safety precautions, and vaccines. The 2020 and 2021 festivals were affected by the change. Many festival-goers wonder what changes they might see come the summer of 2022?
The Idea of the Mariachi Festival
The International Mariachi Festival is a pure celebration of Mariachi music and Mexican culture.
Said to have originated in Jalisco, the festival celebrates the birth, beauty, and evolution of Mariachi music, as well as the traditions, stories, and culture tied to it.
There are paid and free concerts dedicated to folk and contemporary songs that tell heartfelt stories about Mexican people. You can also look forward to art exhibitions and festivals at the regional museum. The festival lasts for ten days and hosts the Annual Charro championship. several ballet shows, and singing workshops for aspiring Mariachi Singers.
The biggest Mariachi competition on the globe also takes place at the international festival at the Benito Juarez Theater. The Folkloric ballet, cathedral choirs, and mobile parades are other great attractions for visiting guests.
Festival History
Guadalajara celebrated the first International Mariachi Festival in 1994 after the President of the local Chamber of Commerce discovered on a trip to Tuscon, Arizona, that city hosted an annual Mariachi Festival.
Inspired by the Mexican Americans, he returned home to Guadalajara, the traditional home of the Mariachi, to create a festival dedicated to the music he loved so much.
Every year since, the festival starts on a Sunday at the end of August and crosses over to the beginning of September. Sunday festivities kick off with a parade led by Mariachi bands and ballet dancers performing regional songs and dances. Charros wearing Somberoes also entertain festival visitors with a performance.
After 27 years of celebration, The festival has managed to break a few World Records.
It proudly holds the records for:
- Largest Mariachis performing as one
- Largest coordinated dance
- The largest group of people singing “Cielito Lindo.”
- Biggest mosaic using Charro hats
Mariachi Music
Modern Mariachi music represents the culmination of nearly 500 years of colonial influence, culture, stories, and traditions. It combines the traditional song styles that emphasize folk music and string instruments like the vihuela and the guitarron, with modern renditions that draw influences from Polka, Waltz, and instruments like harps and trumpets.
Mariachi became synonymous with a united Mexico in the 1920s when the government played Mariachi music at popular radio stations as part of their nation-building efforts after the Mexican civil war. It was also during that time that Mariachi started to wear the Charro and form professional associations, and performers and actors starred in early Hollywood films like Ay, Jalisco no ter rajes.
The 1940s and 50s saw Mariachi music grow more popular. Mariachi bands wrote and performed music popular on the radio, and female Mariachis like Lola Beltran and Lucha Villa rose to prominence. Mariachi music went global in the later parts of the 20th century, inspiring hundreds of Mariachi groups worldwide and feeding a global audience of Mexican and music lovers.
Celebration in 2016-2021
The festivities from 2016 to 2019 brimmed with life. Over 2 million people flooded the city at the height of the festival, and they attended free concerts, competitions, singing and dancing workshops, parades, and art exhibitions.
The biggest stage was at the Plaza de la Liberacion, and the highlight was the joint performance of the Guadalajara Symphony and popular Mariachi bands. Travelers also delighted in the nightly performances at the Plaza.
In 2020, the turnout was higher, and the events had to be streamed via Facebook and Youtube. The starting dates had to be pushed back from late August to mid-September because of the pandemic, and they clashed with the 100th anniversary of Charro, as well as El Grito– the celebration of Mexico’s independence from Spain. Some events were merged with others, and a few were canceled altogether.
The 2021 event saw a return to form. Safety procedures were put in place for festival-goers, and events were adjusted to accommodate international travel restrictions.
Mariachi Festival 2022
With the rollout of the vaccines to most countries worldwide, the International Mariachi Festival should be even bigger this year. Already festival-goers are buying tickets to events and hotel reservations. There have been no official updates from the Guadalajara chamber of commerce to confirm any major change yet, so let’s hope everything will work out and we’ll be able to enjoy the festival.