Once again Mexico City will be the site of the Ibero-american Festival of Musical Culture “Vive Latino”. Like every year, musical artists from diverse genres but of international renown will participate in this international festival.

In the last edition, the event included performances from Javiera Mena (Chile), Los Caligaris (Argentina), El Columpio Asesino (Spain), Molotov (Mexico) and Fatboy Slim (United Kingdom), along with many other groups.

In its 14th edition, “Vive Latino” will reunite the co-creators of Britpop, Blur (United Kingdom), as the main act in English, as well as internationally famous Latin groups among which stand out Los Fabulosos Cadillacs (Argentina), Panteón Rococó (Mexico) and Los Amigos Invisibles (Venezuela). Violadores del Verso (Spain), Yeah yeah yeahs (United States) and the veteran urban rock band El Tri (Mexico) will also appear among the more than 100 groups that make up the event's official lineup which can be found here [es].

The festival organizers say this [es] about the beginning and the evolution of “Vive Latino”:

Antes del festival iberoamericano de cultura musical vive latino la historia del rock en México registraba la realización de festivales diversos, pero ninguno de ellos logró continuidad. La necesidad de contar con un evento consolidado en la ciudad más grande del mundo era una demanda a voces, pero había que darle credibilidad, convencer a los escépticos de que lo más importante no es la taquilla, sino el cartel. Había que sostener calidad, producción, logística, atención a medios y aguantar un par de años para consolidarlo.

Before the Ibero-american Festival of Musical Culture, Vive Latino, the story of rock in Mexico included several different festivals, but none of them was able to continue year after year. The need for a consolidated event in the biggest city in the world was a public demand, but it needed credibility, to convince the skeptics that the ticket office is not the most important thing, but rather the lineup. To consolidate it quality, production, logistics, and media attention would have to be maintained and it would have to last a couple of years.

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Camila Moreno, a Chilean singer. Photo from Pablo Quiroz under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Hoy, que vamos por la decimo cuarta edición del VL, el festival es conocido no sólo en México, sino en toda Iberoamérica por la convocatoria que tiene y por las propuestas internacionales en su cartel. Se ha convertido, por derecho propio, en el punto de referencia para quienes quieren escuchar en vivo a los exponentes más importantes de las escenas musicales que emergen, y de las que dejaron huella. Bienvenidos a los nuevos sonidos y a un 2013 en que muchas sorpresas aleatorias a la música se expondrán para gozo del público que asista al Foro Sol.

Today, on the fourteenth edition of VL, the festival is known not only in Mexico, but in all of Ibero-america because of its huge turnout and because of the international performers in its lineup. It has become, on its own, the point of reference for those who want to hear live the most important artists from the emerging music scenes and from those that made a lasting mark. Welcome to new sounds and to a 2013 in which many musical surprises will be performed for the enjoyment of those who come to the Foro Sol.

Raúl Bustamante [es] from LifeBoxset.com did not forget the emphasis on feminism and pointed out:

Dentro de los 127 artistas y bandas que se presentarán los cuatro días del festival Vive Latino 2013, más de 15 son representadas por una o más chicas que detrás del micrófono y sin importar el género musical, nos deleitarán con su voz. Durante esta edición, los diferentes escenarios tendrán mujeres mexicanas y extranjeras que sin duda vale la pena ver en vivo.

Among the 127 artists and bands that will play over the four days of the Vive Latino 2013 festival, more than 15 are led by one or more girls who, from behind the microphone and no matter the musical genre, will delight us with their voices. During this edition, the different stages will have Mexican women and women from other countries, which is surely worth seeing live.

Diego Sepúlveda [es] from Panamérika specified the number of Chilean performers that are on the festival's lineup:

Seis músicos y agrupaciones chilenas son las que se presentarán en la próxima edición de Vive Latino entre el próximo 14 y 17 de marzo. La selección de este año es diversa tanto en géneros como en atractivo. Desde figuras que han visitado anteriormente las tierras aztecas, a otros que aprovecharán la oportunidad para cimentar una relación con uno de los países que mayor interés ha tenido en las producciones chilenas de los últimos años.

Six Chilean musicians and groups will perform in the next edition of Vive Latino this March 14-17. This year's selection is diverse as much by genre as by appeal. They range from figures that have already visited the Aztec lands to others that will take advantage of the opportunity to cement a relationship with one of the countries that has had the greatest interest in the Chilean productions of the last years.

The bands that Sepúlveda is referring to are: Aiken, Alex Anwandter, Camila Moreno, Chico Trujillo, Gepe y Mostro.

Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, photo from Fernando Messino under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

The focus on the environment is certainly shared by Filter México [es], with a series of recommendations so that the attendees can have an experience that is more environment-friendly:

Si bien desde hace un par de años, los organizadores del Vive Latino han trabajado por cuidar que algunos detalles del festival se orienten a la sustentabilidad, nosotros como público podemos aportar a la causa con acciones sencillas que están en nuestras manos. Te proponemos 3 acciones clave:

1. En medida de lo posible, procura llegar alimentado; esto porque seguro te has dado cuenta la gran cantidad de basura que se genera en eventos tan grandes. Si de plano vas a llegar temprano, mueres de hambre o se te antoja muchísimo algo de lo que se vende en el festival, exhorta a los vendedores a que reutilicen. Si te formas varias veces, procura que te sirvan en el mismo plato y bien, aprovecha al máximo las servilletas para utilizar las menos posibles y evitar desperdicios. No está de más recordar la importancia de tirar toda tu basura en los contenedores.

2. Los vasos de chela [cerveza] también son todo un tema, sigue las recomendaciones que ya habíamos mencionado anteriormente.

3. Aplica el “autosardina”, o mejor aún, utiliza el transporte público y así evita embotellamientos, los cuales generan más gases que cuando el coche lleva una aceleración constante (además de que es contaminación visual y auditiva).

4. Para los fumadores: te proponemos que lleves una cigarrera y así ayudes a evitar los desechos que generan las cajetillas. Además, existen ceniceros portátiles; intenta conseguir uno para el festival y así evitar tirar las colillas en el piso. Si tiras las colillas en la basura, estarás ayudando a remediar la contaminación del suelo.

¡Cuida al medio ambiente y disfruta mucho a tus bandas favoritas en el Vive Latino 2013!

For a couple of years the organizers of Vive Latino have been working to ensure that some details of the festival are focused on sustainability, so that we, as the public, can further the cause with simple actions that are in our own hands. We propose 3 key actions:

1. If possible, try to come with a full stomach; this is because surely you have noticed the great quantity of trash that is generated in events this large. If you are going to arrive early, are dying of hunger or really want something that is sold at the festival, urge the vendors to recycle. If you go more than once, get them to serve you on the same plate and take advantage of the napkins as much as you can to use the least number possible and avoid waste. It can't hurt to remind you as well of the importance of throwing all of your trash in the containers.

2. Beer glasses are another whole topic in itself – follow the recommendations that we mentioned earlier.

3. Carpool, or even better, use public transport to avoid traffic jams, which generate more gasses than when the car moves at a constant speed (and on top of that it is visual and noise contamination).

4. For the smokers: we suggest that you bring a cigarette case and therefore help avoid waste from cigarette boxes. Also, there are portable ashtrays; try to get one for the festival to avoid dropping ashes on the ground. If you drop the ashes in the trash, you will be helping to fix the floor contamination.

Take care of the environment and enjoy your favorite bands at Vive Latino 2013!

On Twitter comments on the event are under the tag #VL13.

“Vive Latino”, in its 14th edition, will take place in the Foro Sol (in the central-eastern part of the Mexian capital) on March 14, 15, 16 and 17 this year. The venue can hold around 55,000 spectators for each day of the concert.

Just in: The event organizers confirmed on the night of March 13 that the British singer-songwriter Morrissey cancelled his participation in the festival (for health reasons, it was said), and therefore the rest of the acts planned for Thursday the 14th will be included on the schedule for Friday the 15th. For more details visit the “Vive Latino” official website.