Besame Mucho Festival returns to Dodger Stadium for a second year

The Besame Mucho Festival was back at Dodger Stadium for the second year in a row, with artists like Maná, Los Bukis, Pepe Aguilar and so many more. The festival took place on Saturday, December 2nd, and attracted families from across the United States. 

Walking into the festival, attendees were immersed in music, food and various art pieces that represented the festival. Upon walking in, festival goers could take a photo in front of an arch that read “Besame Mucho,” the perfect photo op for attendees. 

There were four different stages, the Rockero stage, Las Clasicas, ¿Te Gusta el Pop? and the Beso stage. The Rockero stage maintained the biggest crowd throughout the day. 

Nati Vidad, 37, is a stay-at-home mom who traveled with her husband from Utah to attend the festival. “I’m most excited to see Molotov and Maná but I’m also happy to see Maldita Vecindad and Caifanes,” said Vidad, holding her portable chair and rubbing her pregnant belly. 

The Rockero stage maintained most of the festival’s crowd as it would be the stage that Maná would perform later that night. Many attendees stayed around the stage until Maná’s performance and soon migrated to the Las Clasicas stage to watch Los Bukis. 

One of the main drawbacks the festival had was with sound mixing; this was the biggest issue on the Rockero stage. It was unfortunately at its worst during Molotov’s performance. However, they persisted and put on an amazing show. The energy in the crowd was prominent especially with their mosh pits.

Vidad wasn’t the only one who traveled for the festival. Cynthia Manzo, 31, traveled from Chicago to attend the festival. “It’s just lots of fun being able to see all the artists I’m excited about collectively for the first time in one place, especially Camila,” said Manzo. That night Camila drew a big crowd as they haven’t performed in Los Angeles since 2017.

The energy among patrons was beautiful. Everyone in the crowd was as kind as possible to one another. It was truly a huge party for all the Latinos in attendance. 

California is one of the states that has the most Latinos so it makes sense for the festival to be held in Los Angeles. Due to that, Angelica Mondragon, 48, traveled with her family from Tulsa, Oklahoma and was most excited to see everyone but especially Los Bukis, Maná, and everyone on the Rockero stage. “They don’t have concerts this big in Oklahoma, even though this isn’t my first time seeing these artists. It’s still very exciting,” said Mondragon. 

As the night went on, the energy of the crowds never faltered, whether they were rocking to Hombres G at the Rockero stage or shedding a tear watching Jesse y Joy play “¡Corre!” Everyone in attendance was happy to be there.

Ana Garcia, 59, is a local from the San Fernando Valley. She attended the festival with her husband and son. “I’m most excited to see Maná, Los Bukis, El Banda Recodo, Camila and so many more. This festival makes you feel proud to be Latino, it’s beautiful,” said Garcia, with her family by her side. Her son, Juan, surprised her and her husband with the tickets and it was hard for them to decipher who to see throughout the day. 

The schedule of performances was the biggest drawback for many attendees as it was hard for them to choose between artists. Many people who expressed interest in the festival wanted it to be a two-day festival as it would make it worth the ticket price and the money put in to travel. For example, most artists had an average of a 30-45 minute performance slot with the exception of bigger artists on the main stages like Maná, Los Bukis, Café Tacvba, Caifanes, Los Angeles Azules and more, who had 50 minutes to almost two hours. With many huge names on the card it’s impossible to see everyone in one day. 

Despite the long food, restroom and merchandise lines, Besame Mucho was an overall success for many attendees and was improved from last year’s festival.

Live Nation announced 2024’s Besame Mucho date and line-up and it will now take place on March 2, 2024, in Austin, Texas.