Organizers are inviting one and all to enjoy “six days of music, singing, art, dancing and creativity” at the first Chacala Village Music Festival from March 24-30.
Located on the Pacific Coast eight kilometers from Las Varas, Nayarit, Chacala is a popular getaway for sun and sand seekers who want to chill out in a friendly beach town without the commercial excesses of a large resort. The population consists of approximately 300 full-time residents, but can swell to over 1,000 during popular vacation periods such as Semana Santa and Christmas.
Organizers say the idea for a festival developed after a Friday night roof-top reception, when a group of attendees began to break out in song, regaling the crowd spontaneously with music from Broadway musicals.Thanks to its enviable location, Chacala is destined to grow. Many locals feel that Chacala ought to position itself as a traditional Mexican village with high-quality artistic values, where people can develop in body, mind and spirit. Organizers say the inaugural music festival can help the village move in this direction.
The festival will feature a variety of musical genres. Marcos Delgadillo Larios is bringing his 16-member Tepic High School Student Band to launch the festival on Monday, March 24. Other confirmed performers are The Banderas Bay Jazz Allstars, the Time 2 Play musical ensemble from Puerto Vallarta, Colorado-based singer-songwriter duo Chris and Susannah Thompson, Bedazzled Broadway (featuring a professional cast of favorite Vallarta entertainers), singers Barbara McAfee from Minneapolis, Teresa Tudury from San Francisco and Payín Cejudo from Mexico, La Garfield Jazz Band from Guadalajara and Chacala’s very own guitarist and vocalist Paul Swan.
The festival will also have a strong educational component and provide village youth with opportunities to stimulate, develop and nurture their musical and artistic talents. Music Director Lindy Casados has been teaching K-12 music in her Colorado town over 20 years and will be instructing local elementary students every school day during the week. On Saturday, March 29 the Chacala youngsters will put on a live performance on the festival’s main stage, using all the things they have learned through the week.
Profits from the Festival go to the charity Cambiando Vidas (www.cambiandovidasmexico.org), which helps local children with their educational needs. For more information on the festival, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.chacalavillagemusicfestival.com.