Who’s ready to eat the most delicious tacos in Austin and dance to some of the best Latino music around? You’ll have your chance at the Pachanga Festival, happening at Fiesta Gardens Saturday, May 10 from noon – 11 pm.
Pachanga Fest is an annual Austin music festival that celebrates the impact of Latin American music and culture in our lives. The music line-up includes rock, alternative, tejano, mariachi, cumbia, salsa, electronic, funk, hip-hop, indie rock – all unified under the theme of “the sound is brown.” Acts include Julieta Venegas, El Gran Silencio, Gaby Moreno, Chicha Libre, Del Castillo and more. Click here to see the schedule.
___________
We had a chance to discuss Pachanga Fest with its founder, Rich Garza. Here is what he had to say…
Fiesta Gardens is a great event space. What should people expect to see when they arrive at Pachanga?
The park is the star, we don’t try to do too much more to it than need be. Look out for the beautiful shores of Lady Bird Lake and the installations our friends from the Puro Chingon Collective, a local art collective, have done. Really excited about that.
Can you tell us about the music lineup? It looks like a good mix of local and international acts.
Yep, a great mix of domestic and international if I say so myself. To me, it’s one part mainstream with acts like Julieta, Gaby Moreno, and La Santa Cecelia, mixed in with one part alternative – El Gran Silencio, La Vida Boheme… with a nice dose of Cumbia and hip-hop for good measure.
What’s new for Pachanga this year? The Very Important Taco Pass (VIT) sounds delicious.
VIT is something new for sure. You’ll note we’re scaling back, one less stage, one day only. But we ultimately thing that will help us deliver a stronger experience for our audience.
What are a few of your personal highlights from previous years of Pachanga?
So many, almost impossible to list out. My all-time favorite Pachanga set was probably Chico Trujillo in 2012 with Celso Piña and Los Lobos right behind, not to mention the Sweet and Tender Hooligans.
Why was it important for you to incorporate a large family-friendly aspect to Pachanga?
Honestly, this was purely selfish. We have two little girls, now ages six and eight. We figured if we were going to produce a festival, let’s design it the way we would want to do it, so we created this for our kids and their friends. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Latinos as a segment tend to have larger families and more kids. Something for everyone!
What are some of your favorite things to see/do and Niños Rock Pachanga?
I’m excited about the screen printing demo, papel picado making, the photo booth and the hands-on mural we’re crowdsourcing.
What are you looking forward to the most this year at Niños Rock Pachanga?
DMK!
What do your kids love about Niños Rock Pachanga?
They love inviting all of their friends from school for a little non-traditional socializing.
___________
Tickets to Pachanga Fest are $33 for General Admission + $42 if you’d like to add the VIT Pass Upgrade. Get your tickets here. You can also take your chances at winning tickets by entering our giveaway here.
For more info, check out pachangafest.com.
