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 have a sister in 2024. Its name is La Onda, a new annual event focused entirely on the Latino audience.

On June 1 and 2, with a multigenerational 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: the Mexican culture.

Until now, Northern California, despite its growing Latino population, did not have an event of this type and magnitude, which is why the company Latitude 38 Entertainment took on the task of planning and developing a new challenge with the same proven foundations of the Bottle Rock festival.

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

The eclectic lineup of La Onda by BottleRock, which will offer pop, rock, cumbia and regional Mexican on three stages, also includes Farruko, Eslabon Armado, Mon Laferte, Los Ángeles Azules, and many others. (For more details, click here). Maná, in fact, is also headlining 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 expect a total of 150,000 people for the three days of Bottle Rock and 70,000 for the two of La Onda.

Below, Graham answers questions about the planning, production deployment, the challenge of holding both festivals with just a few days apart, and the expectations for La Onda’s first edition.

Why did you decide to create a Latin music festival?

It’s very important for us. We have been thinking about doing this for a long time. The percentage of Latinos who go to Bottle Rock is 14%, and every year they had been asking us 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. Moreover, the population here in Napa is 40% Latino, mostly Mexicans, and the rest of the Bay Area is 30% [Hispanic], so it’s time to celebrate Latin music, Latin food, and that culture in general.

Why the name La Onda?

Most of the people who will come to La Onda are Mexicans, 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 in the end, it has to do with movement, with something fun, and ultimately when we got to that point there was no discussion about what we wanted to convey.

How long did the planning for this first edition take?

We have been working on this first edition for two years, and we estimate it will take 14 months to plan each festival in terms of logistics.

Is the production deployment the same for both festivals?

The production is exactly the same, but the design is totally different. So we will have to change everything from Bottle Rock for La Onda between the Monday after and Thursday, that is, in just four days.

Why was it decided to hold them so close together?

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 type of production that we have for Bottle Rock at La Onda.

Why is Maná a headlining act at both Bottle Rock and La Onda?

There are many people who go to Bottle Rock and who want to see more Latin bands. We have had Juanes, Santana, Rodrigo y Gabriela and Los Lobos. When we talk about Maná, it fits perfectly with the idea we have that the festivals be multigenerational.

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

Again, it has to do with having a multigenerational event. For example, I wanted my son who loves Fuerza Regida to be able to go and, in five minutes walking, to go see Maná. That means, we can go together. That’s what we want: To attract young people and also adults.

I have had to ask for help from experts, but I am 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 lineup and give the people what they ask for.