Since 1989, Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights has been home to a celebratory festival honoring the patron saint of music and musicians, St. Cecilia.
This year is no different, as the “Mariachi Festival y Fiesta Anual de Santa Cecilia” returns to the place many mariachis call home on Sunday, Nov. 17 for its all-day 35th-anniversary celebration.
The festival will kick off at 10 a.m. with a catholic mass at the plaza led by Resurrection Church’s Monsignor John Moretta. Elected officials attending the event will then speak till around noon.
This year, Mayor Karen Bass, L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, Assemblymember Miguel Santiago and the Mexican Ambassador Carlos Gutierrez are expected to attend the event.
Performances will be held through 10 p.m. and will feature mariachis, including Sol de México, Reyna de Los Angeles, Las Catrinas, Nuestras Raices, Las Colibri and even the Los Angeles Rams. Artisanal and food vendors will also fill the plaza.
The event is produced by the nonprofit Mariachi Plaza Festival Foundation (MPFF) in an effort to “raise public awareness, promote community education and preserve the means of the Mariachi,” according to its website.