DENVER — The Denver community is getting the opportunity to celebrate mariachi music and culture thanks to the Viva Southwest Mariachi events hosted at Metropolitan State University of Denver this weekend.
The weekend-long cultural homage started Friday with Festival Garibaldi: A Celebration of Mariachi and Folklorico Dance. The free and family-friendly event featured food trucks, more than 24 performances, a community concert and a mariachi jam session, where people could sing along to all the best canciones with local mariachi groups, organizers said in a release.
One of the performances showcased student mariachi groups, organizers said, in which people of all ages gathered to present these Mexican art forms. This was the culmination of the 6th Annual Viva Southwest Mariachi Conference, held by the MSU Denver Department of Music and the Latino Cultural Arts Center. The conference offers music workshops during the day for folks to learn from experts before performing for the community.
Organizers said the festival was inspired by the Garibaldi Plaza, the heart of mariachi music in Mexico City. The event was meant to "capture the cultural essence and diversity that represents and defines Denver, a city that embraces its community's cultural diversity through the arts," organizers said in a release.
As a strong finish to the Viva Southwest Mariachi cultural celebrations, the famous Mariachi Cobre will perform from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday at the King Center on MSU Denver's Auraria Campus. The group, founded in 1971, is known for its popular Disney World performances.
Tickets to the mariachi concert can be purchased through the Latino Cultural Arts Center website or at the King Center Box Office at MSU's Auraria Campus.
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