AceShowbiz - The global surge of salsa music, fueled in part by Bad Bunny’s chart-topping album Debí Tirar Más Fotos, is set to make a historic debut at Mexico City’s iconic Vive Latino festival. On Saturday, March 14, the legendary group El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico will perform, marking the first time in the event’s 26-year history that a salsa band has been included in the lineup, broadening the festival’s traditionally rock-focused musical scope.

Jordi Puig, the director and founder of Vive Latino, expressed enthusiasm about this groundbreaking addition, describing El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico as a "generational band" and "the great salsa band." He emphasized the festive spirit the group brings, saying, "We're going to have fun and dance to the beat of a first-class salsa orchestra."

Bad Bunny’s creative reinterpretation of the classic salsa tune “Un Verano en Nueva York,” transformed into “Nuevayol” on his successful album, has reignited younger audiences' passion for salsa. Originally composed in 1975 by Cuban Justi Barreto and famously performed by Andy Montañez with El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, this song stands as one of the band’s most iconic and a vital piece in salsa music history.

The festival’s inclusion of such a seminal salsa group reaffirms Vive Latino’s evolving and transgressive identity, according to Puig. Since its inception in 1998, the Festival Iberoamericano de Cultura Musical — better known as Vive Latino — has continually challenged genre boundaries. Over the years, it has incorporated pop, reggaetón, cumbia, and regional Mexican artists, while maintaining its role as the premier celebration of rock en español. It has also been the first Latin American festival to host an edition in Spain, further cementing its international influence.

Puig highlighted that Vive Latino’s mission is to embrace a diverse cultural mosaic without losing sight of its origins and foundational identity, saying, "Vive has to open its cultural mosaic without giving up its origin, its base, its foundations."

The 2026 edition of Mexico’s longest-running festival will take place over two days, March 14 and 15, at the GNP Seguros Stadium. The eclectic lineup includes prominent acts such as Illya Kuryaki and The Valderramas, the return of Mexican rock band Fobia, Juanes, The Smashing Pumpkins, Trueno, Banda Machos, and John Fogerty. Puig expects attendance numbers to reach between 140,000 and 150,000 over the course of the event, consistent with previous years.

In addition to the new salsa milestone, the festival will revive a segment called "Música para mandar a volar" ("Music to Let Go"), described by Puig as "an unprecedented act of heartbreak." This segment will feature celebrated Mexican rock and pop artists from the 1980s alongside contemporary performers. The lineup for this segment includes Paulina Rubio, Dana, Amanda Miguel, Emmanuel, Mijares, and Dr. Shenka, the frontman of the ska-rock group Panteón Rococó.

For the third consecutive year, Vive Latino will expand its global reach by livestreaming the concerts worldwide through AmazonMusicEnVivo on Twitch and Prime Video. The streams will be available exclusively and without requiring a subscription. Paul Forat, head of music industry for Spanish-speaking Latin America at Amazon Music, noted that the festival will be broadcast live for 11 hours each day, covering approximately 98% of the event’s programming.

Forat described the partnership with Vive Latino as “solid, beautiful and genuine,” emphasizing shared values between Amazon and the festival. He explained that, as a non-Mexican company, Amazon views connecting with Mexican audiences and broader Latin American fans as a vital priority.

This collaboration places Vive Latino within a global portfolio of live music streams that Amazon Music supports, including major festivals such as Chicago’s Sueños Festival, Primavera Sound, Fuji Rock Festival, Stagecoach Festival, Dreamville Festival, and Vibra Urbana. These partnerships form a key part of Amazon Music’s international livestream growth strategy.

With its landmark inclusion of El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico and a diverse roster of artists spanning multiple genres and generations, Vive Latino’s 2026 edition promises to be a vibrant celebration of Latin music’s evolving landscape and cultural richness.