After launching Baja Beach Fest in Rosarito, Mexico in 2018, which captured the ever-growing reggaeton scene with a lineup that included headliners such as Bad Bunny, Yandel and Farruko, Aaron Amputia and Chris Den Uijl they were trying to take the concept to a whole new market.
“Chicago was the target,” Ampudia says by phone from his home in San Diego. The Midwest city is now home to Sueños, which launched alongside Den Uijl in 2022 with an urban-leaning lineup with some local Mexican in the mix. This year, the two-day festival – headlined by Rauw Alejandro, Peso Pluma and Maluma – is sold out for the first time since it began, with 65,000 expected in downtown Grant Park each day (May 25-26). “Chicago has the infrastructure to host festivals like Lollapalooza, one of the largest in the country, and the Mexican and Latin market, which we consider the second largest after Southern California. It made sense for us to go after Chicago.”
Indeed, Chicago, the nation's third-largest city with a population of 2.6 million as of July 1, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, has a huge Latino presence that contributes to the city's diversity. Chicago's population is about one-third Latino, and one in five Chicagoans identify as Mexican, according to a WBEZ analysis.
However, for many years, Chicagoans felt snubbed by the big Latin music events that took place in other major Hispanic markets like Los Angeles or Miami, so smaller, community and grassroots events flourished in the summer in public parks located in predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods around the Chicagoland area.
“I think the country sees Chicago as one thing unfortunately and often its violence, and that comes from a lack of experience of our culture,” he says. mom momlocal DJ and creative director who has performed at many local festivals since starting her DJ career five years ago.
“Small-scale festivals are the kind of festivals that really give a bigger picture. When you have enough of them showcasing a diversity of sounds, the brands involved in major festivals see that there is a thirst in the community for something even bigger, and it plants the seeds to grow from block parties to public parks to Grant Park.
While a community effort, Ruido Fest was the first “major” Latino festival to take place in Chicago. Produced by local production company Metronome, its concept was unique as it served up an earnest Latin alternative, rock en español Fan base with top acts like Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Panteón Rococó and Café Tacvba, carving their own path in a world dominated by reggaeton. It started in 2015 at Adams Park (then moved to Union Park) but struggled after the pandemic. Last year's edition was canceled and there is no word on its return. “Our main goal was to expand the opportunities for Latin artists and Hispanic music fans in Chicago for the long term,” the festival said in a statement afterward. “After nearly a decade of work, we're proud to have a hand in the massive growth of the local Latin scene.”
While other festivals were inspired by Ruido Fest's success, many of those that sprung up soon after were short-lived. Lift Off canceled the second day of its 2018 debut, and Los Dells, while not in Chicago but in Wisconsin, billed as the “first major Latin music festival in the Midwest,” ran for three years (2017-2019).
“Of course, you're worried,” Ampudia says of the risk of starting a Latin Festival in Chicago. “But we knew that the Latino culture in the US was underserved by a festival they could call their own. And we didn't really see anything in Chicago. It clicked for us there. We have to go out and do it the best way possible, the biggest way possible, with the best partners and that's why we partnered with C3 (who produce Lollapalooza). It's scary but the response has been incredible.”
The success of a Latin music festival in Chicago “depends on the lineup, the concept and the skill of the festival,” he says. Henry Cárdenas, founder of Cárdenas Marketing Network, the world's largest indie Latin promoter, based out of Chicago. “The coexistence of multiple festivals enriches the city's cultural landscape, offering more choices and opportunities to both participants and performers. If each festival continues to innovate, adapt and engage effectively with its audience, there is plenty of room for coexistence and success in Chicago's dynamic festival scene, which now attracts larger and more diverse audiences, reflecting the growing influence and appreciation of of Latin culture in the city,” he adds.
A local favorite, Miche Fest, is also making waves as it prepares to host its biggest edition since it began six years ago. In partnership with independent promoter Zamora Live, the 6th annual Miche Fest will take place in July for the first time at Chicago's Oakwood Beach with superstar headliners Kali Uchis, Junior H, Luis R Conriquez and Los Ángeles Azules.
“Honestly, we just heard the feedback from the fans, the ones who buy tickets,” he says Fernando Nieto, co-founder of Miche Fest, who adds that the new alliance with Zamora Live is key to the festival's growth. “Latinos are very vocal, they're in our DMs telling us what they like and don't like. The number one comment was that they wanted bigger names. Before Sueños, obviously, we were already trying to upload and we saw the demand and we were like okay, we have to grow. It was a natural progression. we started as a street festival with local talent and look where we are now. This is an event organized by black and brown people from the South Side of Chicago, and it makes me proud to see how much we've grown.”
Chicago's ever-evolving but thriving Latin music scene mirrors what we're seeing across the country, with a growing market that now includes the nostalgia-inspired Bésame Mucho in Los Angeles, which this year expanded to Austin and the debut of La Bottle Rock Oda in Napa Valley is scheduled for June.
“Latin artists deserve top billing and can get lost in a lineup like Lollapalooza or Coachella,” he adds Karina Gonzales, Vice President of Tours and Development at Zamora Live. “But when there's a local festival where you can celebrate them in that way, it's really cool and it's been missing from the market. It's missing from festival bills across the country, so it's nice to be a part of it and elevate talent that gets lost in the weeds at other festivals.”
With Ruido Fest out of the picture (for now) and Sueños and Miche Fest as the top Latin music festivals in the Midwest, it's very indicative of the Latin market today, says Mo Mami.
“When Ruido was around, he gave an even more expansive look at the diversity of the Chicago Latino market,” he explains. “Sueños' lineup includes what's popular on radio with big names in Grant Park. And then we have Miche Fest, which is more local, with a mix of banda, reggaeton, kumbaya. Those are the options we have to experience Spanish music on such a large scale here, which is fine because that's what's going to sell and attract people. It's nice to have representation in one way or another.”
