The Mariachi Extravaganza proudly celebrates its 30th anniversary this fall, standing as the largest and most prestigious national mariachi competition in the United States. The event kicks off with a traditional mariachi mass on December 1st, followed by three exhilarating days of competitions from December 5th to 7th.

Since its inception in 1995, the Mariachi Extravaganza has attracted the nation’s most talented mariachi groups and vocalists, all showcasing their extraordinary performance skills. Winners have gained national recognition through live performances across the country, numerous television appearances, and extensive media coverage.

This year’s festival promises an exciting lineup of workshops, competitions, and a grand concert featuring the world-renowned Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, along with the national competition winners. Join us in celebrating three decades of mariachi excellence at this milestone event!

What’s new this year with the Vocal Competition?

For the first time in 30 years, the National Vocal Competition will be implementing an additional round to select its winners. In the past, the competition consisted of two rounds: The audition process and the live competition itself. Competitors submit a video audition online during the month of September. A panel of judges then reviews all auditions and “finalists” are selected and invited to compete in the live competition during the Mariachi Extravaganza. This year, video auditions are due October 1 and semi-finalists will be selected to compete on Thursday, December 5. During the semi-finals, top vocalists will be selected to compete on Saturday, December 7 to perform in the brand new Vocal Competition Finals. Finalists will get one more chance to prove to the judges if they have what it takes to be crowned Grand Champion Vocalist.

Important Dates and Audition Process

Here is what you need to know if you plan on competing in this year’s competition. Registration for both the National Group and Vocal Competitions will officially open on September 1st. Please review the rules and regulations carefully before you submit your audition to verify qualifications to compete. Your vocal video audition must be recorded with any type of camera, including your phone, as long as the audio and video is clear. You must be accompanied by either acoustic mariachi guitar, a mariachi group, or a digital track with a mariachi arrangement. Please click here to see an example. Audio and video CAN NOT be edited or tempered with. It must be shot live from a single angle and in one take. Once you have your video ready, upload it to YouTube and title it with your name and the name of your song. After this, complete the registration form on mariachimusic.com where you may copy and paste the link to your audition. The deadline to submit an audition is on October 1 at 11:59 PM Central time. Semi-finalists to the competition will be announced on October 29 via Facebook live at 6:00 PM. Anyone who registered to the competition regardless of being selected a semi-finalist or not is still able to attend the Mariachi Extravaganza workshops and related events in December as part of your registration fee.

What’s new this year with in the Mariachi Group Competition?

High school finals have been taking place for many years and now middle school group finals will be added as well. This new addition reflects the increasing number of competitive groups at the middle school level. Middle schools will complete in the semi-finals on Friday, December 6. Top groups will return for the finals on Saturday, December 7.

This means that the finals on Saturday will include Middle School Group Competitions, High School Group Competitions and Vocal Finals which promises to be more exciting than ever before.

Tickets for the 30th Annual Mariachi Extravaganza are now on sale! Keep up to date with the latests mariachi related news and events and sign up to the MariachiMusic.com monthly newsletter.

For sponsorship opportunities contact cynthia@mariachimusic.com.
For questions regarding the National Vocal Competitions, contact Leon@mariachimusic.com.
For questions regarding the National Group Competitions, contact Sandra@mariachimusic.com.

Thanks and we look forward to seeing everyone this year in December!