LATAM VIVE opened its doors this Saturday in the Arrecife Fairgrounds Tent with a first day that confirmed the ambition with which this new International Festival of Latin American Cultures is born.
More than 4,000 people participated in an event that, from noon to night, combined music, gastronomy, culture, and coexistence in an atmosphere marked by diversity and encounter.
The staging was one of the most outstanding elements from the start, with a large-format stage, three screens, and a technical deployment of light and sound worthy of artists like El Jeffrey, La K’Onga, or Dani Valiente.
Throughout the day, attendees enjoyed the typical Latin American gastronomy stalls that occupied both sides of the space, and a large central area with tables for rest and tasting.
The offering was completed with an independent children's area, equipped with bouncy castles, workshops, and activities for the little ones.
Good Latin music set the pace for a first day that traveled from country to country through its sounds, rhythms, and instruments. Mariachi Azteca opened one of the first windows to the Latin world with rancheras and great Mexican classics, giving way later to one of the most spectacular moments of the day: the Dominican Parade, which burst into the venue with music, flags, typical clothing of the country, and dancing, adding identity and celebration to the festival atmosphere.
Then came Dani Valiente, with a direct, festive, and engaging performance, connecting with an audience that was already completely surrendered to the spirit of the day. Later, La K’Onga turned the venue into a large dance floor with the force of the Argentine quartet, a fast, popular, and contagious sound that gathered a crowd in front of the stage, with DJ Chalo and DJ Kero raising the intensity of the afternoon.
The closing had a Dominican accent. El Jeffrey, “El Canta Lindo,” provided the finishing touch with a live performance full of merengue, charisma, and stage energy that finally turned the night into a true celebration. His performance encapsulated much of what LATAM VIVE aims for: music with identity, connection with the audience, and a culture that is shared from the stage to the last row.
A festival that speaks of present-day Lanzarote
Beyond the programming, LATAM VIVE proposes a very concrete reading of the social moment in Lanzarote: an increasingly diverse island, where the coexistence of cultures is part of daily life and also needs spaces to be celebrated.
The festival proposes this integration through something as simple as it is effective: sitting at the same table, trying different flavors, listening to other music, recognizing foreign traditions, and ending up sharing the same dance floor. Culture, gastronomy, and leisure as tools to bring together people of different origins and generations and turn diversity into a shared experience.
And this Sunday there is a second chance to experience it. From 12:00 PM, the venue will reopen with a program that brings together Soy Colombia Danza, Ensamble Tango Lanzarote, Orquesta Son de Aquí y Allá, Javier Vásquez and La Viejoteca with DJ Tony Saoco, as well as new DJ sets and all the gastronomic and family offerings of the festival, and an urban space with a showcase of the most current sounds of the Latin scene with the participation of Geram, El Lince de la Canción, Stif, Johan Crissaga, Loboa and Candela Latina.
It will be a block designed to connect with the younger audience and show another side of Latin American musical diversity, with proposals that range from urban rhythms, popular music, fusion, and new trends. A space to discover different voices, unique identities, and a generation of artists who are also part of the cultural universe that LATAM VIVE wants to bring together.
The first edition of LATAM VIVE 2026, organized by Preventos Media, has been possible thanks to the sponsorship of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, through the Area of Economic Promotion, the Centers of Art, Culture and Tourism of Lanzarote and La Graciosa, and SPEL-Turismo Lanzarote.
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