CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The popular Festival de Mariachi will return to Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi this week. It lasts five days, starting on Wednesday and ending on Sunday. There will be performances from groups traveling from across Texas and other states.
Saturday is the main event, which will showcase mariachi groups from as far as Las Vegas right here in Corpus Christi.
In a first for the festival, TAMU-CC sophomore Angelica Delgado will perform in an all-female mariachi group.
"That's really exciting to be a part of because they don't have anything like that yet." Delgado said. "It's definitely something a little nerve-racking because we're the first to do it, but we're excited."
That all-female mariachi group is Mariachi Corazon Del Mar. Delgado said it's the first all-female group in Corpus Christi. She also joined the TAMU-CC mariachi group, Mariachi de la Isla, two years ago. The group will open the mariachi festival on Wednesday.
The festival lineup is determined by invitation or if musicians, artists, vendors or food trucks reach out.
"We see groups and musicians and artists throughout the year and we think, oh, wouldn't they be a nice addition to the festival, and then sometimes we're approached," TAMU-CC Performing Arts Center Director Jim Moore said.
This will be the festival's fourth year. Moore said he is thrilled with how much the event has grown over time and that it resonates so well with students and faculty. He said the university plans to have the festival in the first week of April every year.
"So that people know and can anticipate and put it on their calendars—this is when the mariachi festival's going to be, and we hope to expand it into other activities into the community," Moore said.
Growing up in San Antonio, Delgado said she was always around mariachi music. She recently competed in a mariachi vocal competition in Seguin—placing third in the college division.
She said seeing mariachi groups perform at last year's festival inspired her to play music more and get in touch with her Hispanic culture. That is what she looks forward to doing when she becomes a music educator.
"Showing my students that they can also embrace their culture through music, and so this festival is honestly a really great opportunity to embrace something that's really important to not just the school or Corpus but all over South Texas," Delgado said.
Delgado credits her mariachi group on campus, professors and the festival for her third place finish. She said two years ago, she would not have imagined performing like that but her confidence grew as she gained experience with mariachi music.