Napa's Latin-focused Festival La Onda is this weekend. Here's what to know.
The inaugural edition of Festival La Onda brings two days of Latin music and food to the North Bay this weekend with headliners Alejandro Fernández, Junior H, Fuerza Regida, Maná and more.
Announced by the organizers of BottleRock last November, the festival will use much of the same staging and infrastructure already set up at the Napa Valley Expo for the annual Memorial Day weekend music fest that was held last weekend.
What is Festival La Onda?
Napa-based production company Latitude 38 Entertainment that runs the successful BottleRock Napa Valley festival saw that there was a gap in Bay Area music events that they could cater to with a Latin-focused weekend music fest, and Festival La Onda was born. The festival features a wide range of acts touching on everything from regional Mexican, Latin pop, rock en Español, música norteña, cumbia and reggaeton.
Organizers are taking a page from Another Planet Entertainment's playbook, as that promoter this year has partnered with San Francisco officials to host additional summer concerts in Golden Gate Park that using the main stage already set up for Outside Lands. The first concert announced, a co-headlining show with System of a Down and Deftones, quickly sold out.
When does Festival La Onda take place?
The first edition of Festival La Onda will be held on Saturday and Sunday, June 1-2. The festival gates open at 11 a.m. with the headlining acts scheduled to ends at 10 p.m., the same curfew placed on BottleRock.
How much does it cost to attend Festival La Onda?
While general admission single-day tickets are already sold out for Sunday, GA Saturday tickets for La Onda begin at $179 (that discounted price is available for attendees using Google Pay for purchase). Two-day general admission passes start at $309 each with the Google Pay price break. VIP tickets start at $419 for single-day tickets and $699 for two-day passes. There are also high-end luxury weekend passes available at two price points with El Mirador tickets starting at $1,399 and Diamante tickets starting at $3,599. Tickets can be purchased on the La Onda website.
Who is playing at Festival La Onda?
The headliners announced back in early December for the inaugural edition to the festival include popular Latin rock group Maná, who also played at BottleRock and will help close La Onda Sunday night, Alejandro Fernández, Junior H, Fuerza Regida. Among the other acts on the schedule are Farruko, Eslabon Armado, Café Tacvba, Los Ángeles Azules, Mon Laferte, Gabito Ballesteros, Danna Paola, Yahritzia y Su Esencia, Maldita Vecindad, La Arrolladora, Edén Muñoz, Gera MX, Ximena Sariñana, Siddhartha, Yng Lvcas, Silvana Estrada, Nivel, Allison, Mario Bautista, Alex Fernández, Joss Favela, Kaia Lana, Wonderfox, Agudelo888 and DJ RayBurger. The full festival schedule is available on the La Onda website.
What other attractions are there at Festival La Onda?
In addition to the live bands on the two main stages, La Onda also has three areas -- the Silent Disco, the Retumba Stage and the Club -- with DJs spinning Latin music as well as a ring featuring masked lucha libre wrestling throughout the day. La Onda also features over 60 local eateries offering an array of Latin and Latin-inspired dishes, along with festival favorites. The 2024 festival food line-up includes many of the top names from the Napa Valley, Sonoma County, and the greater Bay Area.
How do you get to Festival La Onda?
Getting to La Onda should be easier than fighting holiday weekend traffic to arrive at BottleRock, but drivers should still expect some delays getting to Napa. There are still general admission parking passes available for purchase. The festival encourages attendees to carpool or use rideshare services. La Onda is also providing a number of shuttle buses traveling from San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, Oakland, Fairfield, Santa Rosa and Sonoma and has partnered with Napa Valley's VINE Transit to offer free rides and extended, late-night service all weekend – including regional express service to BART.