The Viña del Mar International Song festival is hosting its duet for 2025. The event's production said Wednesday (November 6) that presenter and journalist Rafael Araneda will join the previously announced host Karen Doggenweiler for its 64th edition, which returns to Quinta Vergara from February 23rd to 28th.
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This will be the first time Doggenweiler will co-host the Chilean festival, while Araneda returns after seven years, having previously hosted between 2011 and 2018.
Produced this year by Bizarro Live Entertainment, festival de Viña begins a “new era” on the Mega channel, having previously been broadcast on Canal 13 and Televisión Nacional de Chile.
“Today, it's an honor, it's a privilege, it's a gift that music gives me, that life gives me, to be able to return to this new era of Mega and Bizarro doing the Viña del Mar festival,” said Araneda . Billboard Español this week. “[I have] great memories and great expectations for the future.”
“I am extremely fortunate to be a part of this edition,” said Doggenweiler. “Viña is not just a festival, it is a global movement of music and entertainment, of human connection.”
With nearly three decades of career in radio and television, Araneda has hosted newsrooms, primetime shows, reality shows and competitions, in addition to his eight years at the helm of the Viña del Mar festival. In recent years he has developed his career in Mexico City (TV Azteca) and Miami (Univision), where he currently hosts the show In love.
Doggenweiler, with more than a quarter of a century on Chilean screens, has also hosted entertainment shows in various formats, including primetime programs, morning shows, family shows, game shows, reality TV and festivals. Over the years he had a close relationship with the festival de Viña, which he not only covered as a reporter, but for which he also served as a judge.
The Viña del Mar International Song festival, which began in 1960, is held annually at the Quinta Vergara, a 15,000-seat amphitheater located in the city of Viña del Mar, Chile, in the central coastal region of Valparaíso.
Over six days, the event features a mix of superstars, up-and-coming singers and local artists competing for Silver, Gold and Platinum “Gaviotas” (Seagulls). These awards are decided by a jury with the help of spectators from their homes, although the so-called “monster” – the public present at Quinta Vergara – undoubtedly has a great power of influence with its cheers and occasional boos.
Below, Karen Doggenweiler and Rafael Araneda, the official hosts of Viña del Mar 2025, answer questions from Bulletin board.
Karen, it's your first time as a presenter of the most important television event in Chile. How do you feel now that this moment is approaching?
I am very lucky to participate in this edition of the festival. Viña is not just a festival, it is a global movement of music and entertainment, of human connection. We'll have state-of-the-art technology, there's also a commitment to sustainability and a show that will hopefully light up the entire summer [in the Southern Hemisphere]. I feel like it comes at a very, very special time in my career.
Together with Rafael we hope to put our own stamp on it. We know that for 65 years other channels had it too… and well, now we are here and of course we hope to become a favorite festival in this new version that we have prepared, in this change of era that we work with so much love and dedication.
Rafael, what does it mean for you to return to Viña as a host after seven years?
Indeed, I was a member of the jury twice at the Viña del Mar festival and then had the opportunity to host it in eight consecutive editions. It's been a great experience, personally and professionally, working with the best technology in TV production, doing what we love. We're working on a 360 media concept where there are different audiences, not just people on TV — there's radio, print, today social media is very powerful, as well as digital broadcasts that can even give you a personalized experience festival. In that sense, it was always a nice challenge.
Today, it's an honor, it's a privilege, it's a gift that music gives me, that life gives me, to be able to return to this new era of Mega and Bizarro making the Viña del Mar festival. [I have] great memories and great expectations for the future.
What would you say was your favorite moment in Viña?
Karen: So many! I was able to go as a spectator when I was little with my mother, with my sister. I have also participated in the jury and related satellite programs, I participated as a reporter, waiting for the artists who arrived at the airport to interview them. So many years I have seen it from different places. I think I missed being a host! So I think my favorite moment in Viña is yet to come. While I treasure each of these other moments in a very special place in my heart, I think Viña 2025 will be my favorite moment in Viña del Mar.
Raphael: There are a lot of special moments, there are a lot of emotions behind the scenes — but I stick to the prior preparation, on a personal level. And also observing from behind the scenes, from a unique perspective, the nerves of the world-class stars before they go on stage — or when they perform — they look nervous, they look eager, you see them shouting, doing exercises, talking and perfecting details with their crew. And there you realize that we are all human, that we all always want to give the best version of ourselves and that what happens there is unique, truly wonderful.
Karen, you mentioned that you attended the festival as a spectator with your mother and sister. What does your family say to you now that you will host Viña del Mar?
Karen: My family feels proud, happy and naturally supports me in this important case. We experience the affection of each of the Chileans we meet every day, our compatriots, in every step we take on the street, through the screens, through the radio. Of course, our family also adds to this. And I am convinced that it is the same with Raphael. I know his family, I love them very much. And well, we are already working very closely to make it an unforgettable festival, so that we truly reflect this change of season, so that we can surprise and so that everyone can transform each of these six nights into something that will stay in the hearts forever .
Rafael, what will be different for you after seven years away?
Raphael: I think the signature that Mega and Bizarro are going to give. And in that sense, together with Karen — with whom I had the opportunity to work for many years in Chilean television in different formats, at different times, and we enjoyed it, we had a great time — I think that will be the feature. To be able to meet her again after so many years of accumulated experience will be very rich. Hopefully the chemistry and maturity we've both gained over the years will come through. I have no doubt that this will be the case.
But the signature will also be associated with energy, which is a central idea for Viña 2025. The energy generated by the music, the energy generated by the experience of Viña del Mar, the energy generated by the transmission that the each of us makes it a mission, not just the media. People today will have access to technological platforms to watch the festival from where they want to watch it and how they want to watch it. I hope they see it with their family – the line-up will be along those lines. They will be family-friendly crossover artists, and obviously also proudly massive. This is Viña del Mar.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/latin/rafael-araneda-karen-doggenweiler-vina-del-mar-festival-2025-hosts-1235821670/
