¡Viva México! Jazz Fest 2025 Celebra la Cultura Mexicana
By AnaMaria Bech
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is set to transform into a vibrant celebration of Mexican music and culture in 2025. The Expedia Cultural Exchange Pavilion will be the heart of this cultural immersion, showcasing the richness and diversity of Mexico’s artistic heritage.
Headlining the festival’s tribute to Mexico are musical powerhouses Santana, chart-topping Banda MS, and Grammy winner Lila Downs. They will be joined by nineteen bands from both Mexico and the United States, creating a dynamic cross-border musical experience.
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Festival-goers can expect a diverse array of Mexican sounds. Son de Madera will bring their string-driven Son Jarocho from Veracruz, while Las Hermanas García and Mixanteña de Santa Cecilia will showcase the traditions of Guerrero and the Afro-Mexican rhythms of the Pacific coast. Pasatono Orquesta will reinvent the sounds of Oaxacan village bands, and Marimba Nandayapa will present the traditional marimba music of Chiapas.
From Guadalajara, Son del Coamil will offer traditional Mariachi, contrasting with the horn-driven Mariachi Los Camperos from Los Angeles. Son Rompe Pera will return with their cumbia punk, and the Mexican Institute of Sound will highlight the Mexican electronica movement. U.S.-based bands like La Santa Cecilia, El Conjunto Nueva Ola, Alejandro Escovedo, Los Texmaniacs, La Insistencia Norteña, and “El Dusty” will also showcase their Mexican roots.
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Beyond the music, the festival will come alive with Mexico’s dynamic street culture. Parades featuring Matlachines Los Venados from Aguascalientes and a Oaxaca-style calenda will fill the Fair Grounds with color and energy. Inside the Cultural Exchange Village, visitors can enjoy live music, relax with authentic Mexican cuisine and mezcal cocktails, and experience craft demonstrations in the Cultural Exchange Demonstration Tent.
The demonstration tent will offer an immersive look into Mexican traditions. Visitors can explore Son Jarocho culture with print-making, guitar-making, and impromptu jam sessions. Artists from Oaxaca will demonstrate alebrijes-making, weaving, and mural painting. Artists from Uriangato, Guanajuato, will create intricate tapetes from dyed sand and seeds. Other demonstrations will include basket weaving, Mojiganga puppets, papel picado, and Otomi embroidery.
Jazz Fest 2025 promises to be an unforgettable celebration of Mexico’s rich and diverse culture.
