In a display of women’s increasing clout in the Latin urban landscape, Rosalía and Karol G have been confirmed as headliners for the 16th annual Calibash, taking place Jan. 21 and 22 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. They join a previously billed group of headliners that also includes Ozuna, Myke Towers and Farruko.
The Latin urban megafest, widely known as the pioneer and still the most storied in a crowded Latin urban festival landscape, will also feature performances by Ivy Queen and Becky G, as well as Jhayco, Nío García, Zion & Lennox, Blessd, Sech and Feid. Rosalía and Karol G will both perform one-offs, as their U.S. tours will have concluded by January. Tickets are already on sale.
All told, seven artists will perform per night at Calibash, a departure from the fest’s early years of dozens of acts on the bill, and also a departure from more crowded rosters. It’s part of an effort to more carefully curate Calibash, says Alessandra Alarcón, president of SBS Entertainment, which created and promotes the show.
Alarcón says that when she took over Calibash, “I thought the audience would be OK with there being less acts but more quality sets. I thought if we could edit this down and give the headliners half hour, 45 minutes, I think people would be stoked to see that. And I’m happy to say I was right.”
Last year, Calibash sold out three nights at Crypto.com Arena, even though the shows took place in the midst of a COVID-19 surge.
Calibash was the first Latin music festival devoted to urban music that not only took place consistently every year and always on the West Coast, but also became known for its performances — planned and unplanned — by mainstream artists like French Montana, Cardi B and memorably in 2016, Justin Bieber, in addition to a slew of other stars.
Both Calibash performances will kick-off with a pre-show fan festival that celebrates Latin music and culture at L.A. Live with surprise performances, experiences and more.
Calibash is owned and operated by SBS Entertainment’s parent company, Spanish Broadcasting System, which owns and operates some of Latin music’s top radio stations in the country, including Los Angeles’ KXOL-FM La Mega 96.3, the event’s official station.
