It’s fiesta time once again on the Aitken Arts Plaza! Following the huge success of last year’s Heartbeat of Mexico festival and concert, Musco World CAFE presents the 2017 edition by popular demand! Enjoy free performances by many of Southern California’s top Mexican and Mexican-American performing groups, plus culture and art booths, delicious food on sale and much more.

ABOUT THE EVENING’S FEATURED PERFORMERS

This edgy and versatile all­-women mariachi group from New York City offers a fresh take on traditional Mexican music. Like the legendary Toloache flower still used in Mexico as a love potion, the Latin Grammy Nominees cast a spell over their audiences with grace and beauty—one that pushes the boundaries of mariachi while preserving centuries-old traditions.

Born on the streets of Los Angeles, Las Cafeteras are children of immigrants who are remixing roots music and telling modern day stories with what LA Times has called a “uniquely Angeleno mishmash of punk, hip-hop, beat music, cumbia and rock … Live, they’re magnetic.”

The sound of Las Cafeteras is brought to life by the eclectic instrumentation used, which include jarana’s, requinto, a donkey jawbone, a West African bass instrument called the Marimbol, cajón, and a wooden platform called the Tarima used to dance Zapateado.