The Mucho Gusto Festival returns to North Park on Saturday, Sept. 19, billing itself as a festival without borders. That can mean many things. For Mucho Gusto, it means no boundaries.
Co-founder Ulises Rodriguez gives some context to the phrase. He describes the festival as a celebration of the African diaspora and the cultures, traditions, music and colors it carries. Those roots, he said, "have no borders."
That thread runs through the bill. Headliner Plenazo Tribe plays plena, the Afro-Puerto Rican folk form built on panderetas and güiro. The group formed in Los Angeles in 2023, and members of the band joined Bad Bunny onstage during the Super Bowl LX halftime show in February, carrying a genre most of the country had never heard to the largest television audience of the year. Plenazo Tribe released its debut album, "INMIGRANTES," in August.
The rest of the lineup is just as wide, a dare you not to dance mix of R&B, indie rock, cumbias and more. Do not assume you need to understand Spanish to have a good time. Rodriguez said the booking favors artists "pushing the boundaries in traditional music, styles and genres," which is how a single stage holds a plena group and an indie rock act without either one looking out of place.
Los Angeles superstars Bardo and E. Arenas will play back-to-back solo sets. The two were the creative core of Chicano Batman. No reunion has been promised, but the duo will share a stage for the first time since Chicano Batman split.
Local R&B and hip-hop act Cam Gnarly brings a message of real love and personal empowerment. He avoids the stereotypes without dabbling in the corny. Sincerity is his strongest artistic asset. It oozes from his voice and he wears his spirit on his sleeve.
Mucho Gusto is the name of the festival and also of the collective of artists and musicians who created it, in the spirit of sin fronteras. Rodriguez said it started as a rooftop party with friends and family, built on a vision his partner Eduardo Valencia had in mind, and that the group has kept leaning on local artists since.
Getting from a rooftop to a nine-hour park festival took someone who had done it before. Cosme Cordova, owner of Division 9 Gallery, has been building large events in Riverside for more than two decades. He founded the city's Day of the Dead festival, and has run the Mariachi Festival and Artnival. Division 9 serves as the home base for Mucho Gusto, as it does for Day of the Dead and La Tardeada Fest.
Art director Richie Velazquez, who works as Deladeso, gives the festival its look. His piñata sculpture work sets the aesthetic across the park's art installations.
This summer Mucho Gusto took the festival beyond Riverside. Working with NextFest, Mucho Gusto brought free concerts to Los Angeles as part of the Sounds of LA music series, including an August date in City Terrace. Rodriguez said the shows let the collective highlight Inland Empire talent and give Los Angeles audiences a small taste of what the festival does every year.
Anyone who cannot wait until Saturday can catch Patacore on Thursday, Sept. 17, at Brüe Crüe, 11626 Sterling Ave. The Colombian band takes its name from the Afro-Colombian rhythm that dominates its sound. The set is free. The taproom is 21 and over.
More information: Mucho Gusto runs from 3 to 11 p.m. Saturday at North Park, 3200 Mission Inn Ave. Tickets are available at muchogustofest.com.
