Baja Beach Fest turns five this year! Taking place Aug. 11-13 in Rosarito, the Mexican beachside festival continues to showcase the most exhilarating acts of reggaeton, Latin trap and a splash of corridos with Grupo Firma for a special premiere showcase.
Returning as headliners are Wisin & Yandel, who is scheduled to appear the first night, along with Nicky Jam. Billboard’s March cover star Feid will bring his Colombian reggaeton vibes on day two alongside Puerto Rican hitmaker Ozuna.
“We’re really excited about supporting Feid in this amazing explosion of a journey he’s been having — this being his first time at the festival, but also as a headliner,” co-founder Chris Den Uijl tells Billboard Español. “This is his first major festival headlining in North America and Mexico, so we’re really happy to be a part of that story. Wisin & Yandel [are] doing their final tour in Mexico, and this being one of their stops is also super exciting.”
About half of this year’s lineup is performing for the first time at Baja Beach Fest. That includes reggaeton legends Don Omar and Tego Calderón, who will take the Baja Beach Fest stage on day three.
The “Danza Kuduro” icon recently spoke about releasing his long-awaited album Forever King. Calderón, whose timeless and influential El Abayarde album turned 20 last year, is launching his farewell tour, and his BBF appearance is one of the two Mexico stops he will be making.
The exclusively all-Latin lineup also features Dominican dembow purveyor El Alfa, rapper Eladio Carrión and Manuel Turizo, as well as Tainy on Friday. The following day will welcome her reggaeton highness Ivy Queen, as well as Becky G, Ryan Castro and Young Miko. And for its closing night, attendees can expect to see Arcángel, Zion y Lennox and Tokischa rocking out the stage.
“It’s been a super fun journey from when we started with Bad Bunny, Farruko and Yandel being the first headliners in 2018, to growing the venue to a 35,000 cap and doing two weekends [last year],” co-founder Aaron Ampudia tells Billboard Español. “It’s been a roller-coaster ride and an honor to have everyone [in the música urbana scene] come through. We’re only missing a couple of guys from the genre, but hopefully we’ll have them next year. It’s an honor to have a little part in the reggaeton movement that has exploded worldwide.
Previously, Baja Beach Fest has featured megastars such as Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Farruko, Banda MS and many more.
“We set out a clear vision for [BBF], and that was to create a festival that could uplift Latin culture and build an event that Latinos could call their own,” says Den Uijl. “It wasn’t just for the fans, but it was also for the artists. Aaron and I continue to push ourselves to try to create the best experience possible from every touch point. As the years have gone on, we’ve been able to continue to find ways to infer into the experience and grow the production footprint, and all the things that make these gatherings really special.”
“We’re barely on year five, and we have a lot of new things [to bring to the table]. We challenge each other so much to keep it fun and creative,” adds Ampudia. “You’ll start seeing new stuff that we’ve been brainstorming this year and for future years to come.”
See the full lineup below:
