By Joe Contreras, Latin Life Denver Media (see video and photo gallery below)

What a week and weekend for Mariachi music in Denver. Constant snow and freezing cold weather did not stop hundreds of fans and students of Mariachi music from coming out to the King Center on the Auraria Campus in Denver this past weekend, April 19 & 20, 2024

On Saturday, April 19th, nearly 2,000 people filled the hallways, balconies and stairs of the King Center as more than two dozen mariachi groups strolled and serenaded the crowd.

The event was supposed to take place outdoors but the non-stop show and cold forced everyone indoors. “It was like mariachi cruise ship festival in here” said Jeanette Trujillo-Lucero, Director of Fiesta Colorado Dance Company, Mariachis and people were everywhere as far as the eye could see. It was just a wonderful thing to experience” she said.

The weekend was capped off by Mariachi Cobre, the official mariachi group for Disney entertainment. For more than 40 years Mariachi Cobre has entertained fans from throughout the world. ” They are great! said Maria Meineke, a Mexico City native who has had the pleasure of seeing and listening to dozens of mariachi groups throughout her lifetime, including at the famed Garibaldi Square and Bellas Artes in Mexico City. They are one of the best groups I have come across. What a treat to have them here in Denver,” she said.

Billed as Festival Garibaldi and Viva Southwest Mariachi Conference, the Latino Cultural Arts Center hosted 229 mariachi students from across Colorado and as far as Iowa, Tennessee and Las Vegas according to Victoria Paige Gonzalez, one of the organizers of the event. The week long conference included Mariachi Educator Workshops & Ensemble Masterclasses.

Dr. Lorenzo Trujillo, affiliate professor of mariachi music at Metropolitan State University in Denver and Director of the Viva Southwest Mariachi Festival welcomed a sold out crowd to the concert hall at King Center on Saturday for an evening of Mexican inspired mariachi music culminating with Las Mananitas much to the delight of audience who all joined in.

Jesse Martinez of the Mexican Cultural Center thanked the organizations that came together to make the entire week a success. “It speaks volumes when five organizations come together to unite community around culture,” he said in a Facebook post citing the Latino Cultural Arts Center, Metropolitan State University of Denver music department, Colorado Youth Mariachi Program, Fiesta Colorado Dance Company and Empowered Ltd.

Some of the featured mariachi groups included:

Mariachi Groups Mariachi Youth Groups Folklorico Dance Groups
Mariachi Aguila Colorado Youth Mariachi Program Fiesta Colorado Dance Company
Mariachi Corazon de Oro Mariachi Quetzal Ballet Folkorico Baile Caliente
Mariachi Correcaminos de MSU MariachiHalcones Ballet Folklorico Basaseachi
Mariachi Diamante Mariachi Las Aguilas Ballet Folklorico Sangre de Mexico
Mariachi Las Dahlias Alebrijes Folklorico
Mariachi Regional
Mariachi Sol de mi Tierra

Photos by Latin Life Denver Media