La BAMBA Festival in Playa del Carmen Closes Ninth Edition With Six-Hour Concert

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — The ninth consecutive edition of La BAMBA por Playa, por México y la Paz will close Saturday with six straight hours of music at Quinta Alegría, capping a week of community art, environmental talks and music workshops across this Caribbean resort town.

Organizers presented the remaining schedule at a Thursday press conference at the Hyatt Centric Playa del Carmen. The festival, founded in 2018, uses music, the arts and community participation as tools to promote a culture of peace.

Week opens with community mural

The program began Sept. 21, coinciding with the International Day of Peace and Quintana Roo’s State Day of Peace, with the unveiling and renewal of the La BAMBA community mural. Local collective Pinta o Muere created the work on Calle 8, between Avenidas 20 and 25, in downtown Playa del Carmen.

Children from the PAMAR program, older adults from the DIF Playa del Carmen day center, artists, authorities, business representatives, sponsors and residents took part, pressing colored handprints onto the piece.

Workshops reach local schools

Activities then moved out of the city center to Xaman Há public elementary school in the Gonzalo Guerrero neighborhood, where Sonido En Movimiento held a pre-Hispanic instrument workshop for about 35 students on Sept. 22 and 23. Organizers said the aim was to bring younger generations closer to the sounds, instruments and musical expressions tied to the region’s cultural roots, extending La BAMBA’s reach beyond the stage.

Cenotes and Maya rap

The schedule continues Friday, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. at the Museo Frida Kahlo Riviera Maya with a talk titled “Urban Cenotes,” led by biologist Roberto Rojo. The session will address the importance of the Yucatan Peninsula’s water systems, particularly its cenotes, and the need to strengthen public awareness about protecting them as cities expand.

On Saturday, Sept. 26 at 11 a.m., the same venue hosts Maya rapper PatBoy for a workshop on Maya rap, pairing a contemporary musical form with the identity, language and cultural roots of the peninsula.

Organizers said the programming is designed to move beyond entertainment and open space for discussions of identity, the environment, education and social participation.

Six hours of music to close

The finale runs Saturday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Quinta Alegría. The lineup includes Insulini & Los Espantasuegras, Viento Wirikuta, PatBoy, Las Bravas, Los Ocelotes, Sonido En Movimiento, Jazz Caribbean Proyect, CATIK DJ, Luis García and French Sosa.

Organizers also announced saxophonist Missael Oseguera, a founding member of Panteón Rococó, as a special guest. He will perform alongside Insulini & Los Espantasuegras during the concert.

The bill spans generations and genres, ranging from projects rooted in Maya traditions to rock, rap, jazz and electronic music.

Over its nine editions, La BAMBA por Playa has expanded from the concert stage into schools, public spaces and cultural and environmental activities. The closing concert will bring six days of programming to an end.