MacArthur Park will be home to “¡Canta y no Llores LA!” on Saturday night, the first in a series of free concerts in the park’s bandshell. The concert series has seen varied turnout, from a few hundred to 5,000 people.
The goal of the night is to get people out of the house and enjoy the park, said Allegra Padilla, the executive director of Music Arts Community LA, the concert series’ organizer.
“Events like this give people a sense of joy,” Padilla told The LA Local. “It helps people remember their humanity and gives you a chance to come hang at the park on a Saturday night.”
MAC LA, formerly known as Levitt Pavilion, has been putting together this concert series since 2007. Despite the name change, the event will still take place in the same space it has been for 19 years.
Saturday’s show will feature Latin alternative rock band Pastilla, Tijuana-born Ceci Bastida and a mariachi Morrissey cover band, El Mariachi Manchester. The free concert series is produced in collaboration with Sunset Ecléctico, a musical event organizer.
“I hope this event will help people distract themselves from work and everything that’s happening politically,” Luis Polanco, the founder of Sunset Ecléctico, said in Spanish. “I love doing events there because we get to see families come out who normally don’t have the income to go out to an event and buy a ticket.”
Lately, MacArthur Park has been making headlines with federal agents descending upon the park, a fence planned to be installed sometime in the fall and a missing bench on one of its busiest corners. Padilla said that the hope is that the concert can help change how people see the park and make it a place they want to go.
“Part of our love letter to Los Angeles is continuing to show up and stay steadfast, regardless of all the tumultuous things that are happening because we want to preserve spaces of joy, we want to create a space for connection,” Padilla said.
By bringing events like the concert series to MacArthur Park, the organizers believe they can help instill a sense of belonging in the community. Padilla said that these activities can be a form of public safety and create solutions that aren’t just about enforcing rules, but about bringing people together.
The organization has taken precautions for safety. Private security will be at the event, and the Los Angeles Police Department has been notified. If people still have their doubts, Padilla recommended guests arrive in a group.
“We’ve been doing the concerts here for almost 20 years, and there’s also a level of respect in the neighborhood for these events, because it’s something that everybody gets to look forward to and enjoy,” Padilla said.
Moises Baqueiro, a member of El Mariachi Manchester, has played in the MacArthur Park summer concert series for the past 10 years. Over that time, he’s seen a difference in the park and feels the series has really encouraged people to use the space.
“At the time that I [started playing], people were afraid to be there, and granted it wasn’t exactly a very friendly place,” Baqueiro said. “Nevertheless, I always enjoyed playing there because I loved the contrast. You can see an unhoused person next to somebody who has a very nice display of charcuterie and coup d’etat.”
Part of the reason Baqueiro feels that the series is so important is that it makes a wide array of music accessible to everyone in the city. “Having events like this one that is free for everybody is essential, because culture should be free, and everybody should have access to it,” Baqueiro said.
The goal of the concert is to highlight the Latin music scene because, now more than ever, the organizers wanted to amplify voices that help create an atmosphere where Latinos can feel safe.
“We need to be seen. We need to be heard. And, at the same time we need to be out there exposing ourselves to concerts and supporting artists,” Polanco said. “Latin music is very important. It always has been and it always will be.”
For those who come to support the show, it doesn’t really matter what you bring so long as you’re there to have a good time, Baqueiro said.
“More than anything, we want you to leave your apartment and come be with us on the cool lawn and enjoy the sunset,” Padilla said. “It’s a beautiful space that the city has for residents and visitors to enjoy.”
