Guadalajara’s International Mariachi and Charreria Festival celebrates its 20th birthday this year, with bands from all over Mexico and other parts of the world set to roll into the homeland of this revered musical genre at the end of August.
The high-end tickets for the festival are the nightly mariachi galas at the Teatro Degollado showcasing top bands, singers and the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra.
Scheduled at 8 p.m. on August 29, 30 and 31, and September 3, 4 and 5, tickets run from 870 to 2,150 pesos. Their steep cost demonstrates just how much the Guadalajara Chamber of Commerce, the organizers of the festival, relies on the galas to cover the mounting expenses of the event. Just four years ago the top ticket price for the galas was 650 pesos. Thankfully, most of the other festival events are offered free of charge.
Nonetheless, patrons are guaranteed an emotional evening at the Degollado, with the likes of Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan, Mariachi America, Mariachi Camperos de Nati Cano and Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlan expected to interpret all the great mariachi classics.While the festival officially gets underway on August 28, most Tapatios see the colorful inaugural parade, and subsequent mariachi mass and free evening concert, as the real start of the fun.
This year’s desfile (parade) begins Sunday, September 1, 11 a.m. at the Agua Azul Park and and follows Avenida 16 de Septiembre and Alcalde through downtown Guadalajara all the way to Avenida de los Maestros and La Normal traffic circle.
Those wishing to attend are advised to find a place along the route early (half an hour is advisable) for a good view. And they certainly won’t be disappointed as dozens of brightly colored floats and hundreds of local and international mariachi musicians, folk dancers and horsemen and women parade by. The procession usually lasts between 90 and 120 minutes.
In the past the festival has attracted mariachis from as far afield as the United States, Canada, Australia, Colombia, Chile, Cuba, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Spain, France, Slovakia, Belgium, Croatia and Japan. Hopefully, the 20th anniversary bash will also be graced by enthusiastic foreign faces, although the nationality of bands attending is usually not confirmed until a few days before the festival.
At noon on Sunday, many of the mariachis will head to the cathedral for a special “sung mariachi mass,” while others hang around the central plazas taking in the festive atmosphere. At 7 p.m., the Plaza Liberacion fills up for a free, open-air gala featuring the nation’s top groups and the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra. The concert usually draws a big crowd.
Over the course of the next week, the festival spreads out across the metropolitan area and even into the provinces. Highlights include mariachi performances in dozens of accessible venues, including the Andares Plaza (daily, Friday, August 30 through Wednesday, September 4, 6-7 p.m.). Verbena populares (fiestas) scheduled at Plaza del Sol on Thursday, September 5 and the Chapalita Glorieta (Guadalupe and Las Rosas) on Saturday, September 7 (both from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.) will be especially convenient to expats living in these parts of the city.
While the festival program was not complete at press time, restaurants are again expected to participate in the festival and additional venues will probably be added. (Check next week’s Reporter for more details.)
The finale of the festival is reserved for Zapopan and its huge plaza facing the Basilica, home to the beloved statue of the Virgin of Zapopan. This year will be no different, with Italy’s Filippa Giordano the headline singer in a five-hour free mariachi gala that begins at 5 p.m. on Sunday, September 8. Proceedings are heralded by a sung mariachi mass in the Basilica, starting at noon.
A new touch to this year’s festival is the presence of a guest country: Spain. Flying the red and yellow Iberian flag will be pop sensation Alejandro Sainz, who will appear with VIP mariachis at the Telmex Auditorium on Friday, September 6, 9 p.m. (tickets 500-2,350 pesos).
A day earlier, local heartthrob and ranchero superstar Alejandro Fernandez appears at the same venue, although tickets for his two concerts sold out several weeks ago.
Other scheduled events include a beer tasting, followed by a photographic exhibit opening at the Chamber of Commerce (Camara de Comercio) headquarters (Avenida Vallarta 4095) on Wednesday, August 28, 8 p.m. Another photo exhibit titled “the Origin and Evolution of Mariachi” opens on the same day on the pedestrian corridor running along the middle of Avenida Chapultepec.
Although Chapala (so far) is not included in this year’s itinerary, the town of Cajititlan, on the shores of Lake Cajititlan, will be hosting a mariachi gala on Sunday, September 1, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on its pristine, recently built malecon. Driving time from Chapala is less than half an hour.
Now a tradition at the festival, the Guadalajara Chamber of Commerce will host a Guinness world record attempt for the largest number of mariachi musicians playing together. This event is planned for Thursday, September 5, noon.
An important part of the festival is dedicated to the exciting Mexican equestrian skill of charreria. The finals of the National Charreria Championship take place at the Lienzo Charro Nieto Aceves (Javier Mina 77, La Calera, Carretera a Cajititlan, Tlajomulco) from Wednesday, September 4 through Sunday, September 8.
Tickets for the nightly galas at the Teatro Degollado can be obtained through Ticketmaster at (33) 3818-3800 or www.ticketmaster.com, at the theater or from the Camara de Comercio de Guadalajara.
For more information on the festival visit the website www.mariachi-jalisco.com.mx or call (33) 3880-9070.