How and why La Onda, the Latin Sister Festival of Bottle Rock in Napa Valley was born

Ten years after its conception, the Bottle Rock festival in Napa Valley, California will get a sister in 2024. Its name is La Onda, a new annual event focused exclusively on the Latino audience.

On June 1 and 2, with a multi-generational lineup headlined by Maná, Fuerza Regida, Alejandro Fernández y Junior H, attendees will enjoy two days of music, food and celebration from another cultural perspective: Mexican culture.

Until now, Northern California, despite its growing Latino population, had not had an event of this type and size, so Latitude 38 Entertainment took it upon themselves to design and develop a new challenge with the same proven foundations of the Bottle. Rock festival.

“As supporters [of Bottle Rock] we're celebrating 10 years,” says Dave Graham, CEO of Latitude 38 Entertainment. Billboard Español. “In the beginning, like everything, we didn't know what was going to happen when we started with the company. However, everything turned out better than we could have thought, wished or expected. Now we're ready to do something for our Latino community.”

The eclectic composition of La Onda by BottleRock, which will offer pop, rock, cumbia and regional Mexican on three stages, also features Farruko, Eslabon Armado, Mon Laferte, Los Ángeles Azules and many more. (For more information, Click here). Maná, in fact, is also Bottle Rock, which will be held just a week earlier, from May 24 to 26.

Both festivals are already sold out and Graham said they are expecting a total of 150,000 people for the three days of Bottle Rock and 70,000 for the two days of La Onda.

Below, Graham answers questions about planning, developing the production, the challenge of holding both festivals just days apart, and expectations for the first edition of La Onda.

Why did you decide to create a Latin music festival?

It is very important to us. We've been thinking about doing it for a long time. The percentage of Latinos who go to Bottle Rock is 14%, and every year we've been asked to do one.

Was there a need for such an event in the area?

If you live in Northern California, to go to a festival you have to travel to Tijuana, Rosarito, Los Angeles or even Las Vegas. Additionally, the population here in Napa is 40% Latino, mostly Mexican, and the rest of the Bay Area is 30% [Hispanic]so it's time to celebrate Latin music, Latin food and this culture in general.

Why the name La Onda?

Most of the people who will come to La Onda are Mexican, and although everyone in Latin America knows what “onda” means, it is more identified with Mexicans. Everyone has their own meaning for the word 'onda', but ultimately, it's about movement, about something fun, and ultimately when we got to that point there was no discussion about what we wanted to convey.

How long did it take to plan this first edition?

We have been working on this first edition for two years now and estimate that it will take 14 months to plan each festival logistically.

Is production growth the same for both festivals?

The production is exactly the same, but the design is completely different. So we'll have to switch everything from Bottle Rock to La Onda between the following Monday and Thursday, which is just four days away.

Why was it decided to keep them so close?

Because the Latino community deserves a high-level production, and if we had decided to do it later, it would not have been possible to have the infrastructure and the kind of production that we have for Bottle Rock at La Onda.

Why is Maná headlining both Bottle Rock and La Onda?

There are a lot of people who go to Bottle Rock and want to see more Latin bands. We had Juanes, Santana, Rodrigo y Gabriela and Los Lobos. When we talk about Mana, it fits perfectly with our idea of ​​festivals being multi-generational.

The lineup of La Onda brings together artists from various genres of music. How were the acts chosen for this first edition?

Again, it has to do with having a multi-generational event. For example, I wanted my son who loves Fuerza Regida to be able to go and, in a five minute walk, go see Maná. That means we can go together. This is what we want: To attract young people as well as adults.

I've had to ask for expert help, but I'm learning. I still have a lot to learn about music in Spanish, but I'm working hard on it. Every year we will improve the composition and give the people what they ask for.