Baja Beach Fest Enlists Cardi B, J Balvin, Ozuna, Bad Bunny

Theo Wargo / Getty Images – J Balvin, Cardi B, And Bad Bunny
perform at the 2018 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Oct. 9 in Los Angeles, demonstrating the mainstream appeal of Latin music.

Baja, Mexico, is gonna heating up this August as a smorgasbord of Latin artists has been announced for the second annual Baja Beach Fest.

The event runs Aug. 16-17 on the sandy beaches of Rosarito in Baja, Mexico, and will feature the musical stylings of J Balvin and Ozuna on the Friday and Cardi B and Bad Bunny on the Saturday. Other performers include Bryntiago, Amenazzy, Alex Rose, De La Ghetto, Cazzu, DJ Luian, Jowell Y Randy, and Lyanno.

Tickets are available now.

The event is independently produced by Chris Den Uijl and Aaron Ampudia, who last year brought Yandel, Bad Bunny, and Farruko to the playa.

Independent festivals certainly aren’t all dying, as Baja Beach Fest itself proves, but a survey Pollstar conducted last year showed that many industry figures felt that festivals needed to have strong connections with their audience, regardless of size.

“A lot of events are going to have difficulties in the years to come unless they are entrenched, particularly because of all of the cancellations,” John Reese, founder/owner of Synergy Global Entertainment. “As a production company, you have to have a large staff, and that is very expensive. Coupled with the heightened awareness of public safety concerns, it is not a game for people who don’t know what they are doing. Then you add all the other variables, and it really is a difficult proposition to reach any large-scale success. Plus you have to have deep pockets.”

HARD Events’ director Megan DesChenes also recently talked to Pollstar about new hip-hop and Latin festivals popping up in Southern California and it the most competitive market in the North American electronic space.