Latin Goes Ska, a free night concert comes to downtown LA

Ska and Latin music are coming to downtown Los Angeles next month with live performances by local ska bands, including Western Standard Time, Mobtown, the Elysians and Blanco y Negro, among others. 

The free event, titled “Latin Goes Ska”, will take place inside the California Plaza on Saturday, August 9, 2025, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The music night is brought together by Nance Productions, in collaboration with Grand Performances. Nance Arte Productions has produced other shows in L.A. featuring a diverse lineup of bands, including Healing Gems, the Expanders, Boogaloo Assassins, Quinto Sol and Cutty Flam. 

She has also collaborated with well-known acts such as Hepcat, the rocksteady revivalists and Ethio Cali. She has organized events for and partnered with organizations like the Los Angeles Community Action Network and the Dolores Huerta Foundation.

The event is part of Grand Performances' summer series, the longest-running presenter of free outdoor concerts, poetry, theater and dance in L.A. For years, Grand Performances' mission has been to inspire community, celebrate diversity and bring unity through free concerts. 

Their summer series has featured artists like Stevie Wonder, Ozomatli, Aloe Blacc, Chucho Valdes and Grupo Kual, whose lead singer Ángel Pedraza died in February and performed at the California Plaza in 2023. 

The lead headliner of the event is the Western Standard Time, a ska orchestra made up of two dozen members on stage at a time. The 25-piece ska orchestra and tribute band is dedicated to bridging the gap between traditional ska, jazz and swing. The GRAMMY-award-nominated orchestra originated after some of the lead musicians got to know each other after being in the same LA-based jazz scene for years. Today, the band focuses on traditional ska, reggae and Jamaican music. 

Western Standard Time’s headlining performance will feature special guests Maria de Pilar from Los Abandoned, Jackie Mendez and Charles Farrar from Boogaloo Assassins and See Spot, Luis from Raskahuele and JP from Viernes 13. 

“We love the fact that our live show can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of age, gender and socioeconomic status at these performances,” Western Standard Time told Levitt LA in a 2018 interview. 

The event is free and parking will be available at the California Plaza Parking Structure, which attendees can access from Lower Grand Avenue off 4th Street or Olive Street. Attendees are also allowed to bring their food and beverages. 

To RSVP, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nance-arte-presents-latin-goes-ska-ft-western-standard-time-ska-orchestra-tickets-1359503434369.