A Daylong Celebration of Mexican Culture
Featuring performances and family activities throughout the park
On Sunday, September 10, for the summer season finale, Ravinia celebrates Mexican Independence with its seventh annual daylong festival of Mexican culture, featuring a variety of entertainment throughout the park, such as mariachi and folkloric dance performances and live lucha libre wrestling!
The headline concert features Latin Grammy-winning pop trio Reik, whose chart-topping callings cards for a decade were romantic ballads and pop hooks like “Creo En Ti,” “Tu Mirada,” “Sabes,” and “Noviembre Sin Ti,” before becoming prolific collaborators with hits like “Ya Me Enteré,” with Nicky Jam, “Me niego” with Ozuna and Wisin, “Amigos Con Derechos” with Maluma, “Un Año” with Sebastián Yatra, and recently “A Veces Bien y a Veces Mal” with Ricky Martin.
Spinning a set in the park and opening in the Pavilion is DJ Chava, a multifaceted Chicago-raised music producer and cultural curator whose globally influenced, Latin-infused sets rotate reggaeton, R&B, house, and hip-hop for fresh energetic vibes.
Get ready for an electric night with these two incredible acts!
Tickets
^ Price increases by $5 the week before the event
Video Preview
Fiesta Schedule
Times and locations may be updated before the day of the event.
| 1:00 p.m. | Parking Opens |
| 2:00 p.m. | Gates Open for Park Admission |
| 2:00 p.m. | KidsLawn Opens (North Lawn) |
| 2:00–8:40 p.m. | Ravinia Music Box Exhibits Open (North Lawn) |
| 2:30–7:30 p.m. | Food Trucks: La Cocinita / Tacos Marios / Lupita’s Bakery (Picnic Grove) |
| 2:30–3:00 p.m. | Mexican Folkloric Dance Co. of Chicago (Carousel Stage) |
| 2:30–5:00 p.m. | Live Wrestling with Lucha Libre Internacional (North Lawn) |
| 2:30–5:30 p.m. | Face Painting by A Hardy Party (Santa Fe Tent on the North Lawn) |
| 3:00–3:30 p.m. | Mariachi Estrellas of Waukegan (Martin Theatre Plaza) |
| 3:00–3:30 p.m. | Dance Lesson: Mexican Folkloric Dance Co. of Chicago (Carousel Stage Plaza) |
| 3:00–5:00 p.m. | DJ Chava (Pavilion Entry Gate Path) |
| 4:00–4:30 p.m. | Mariachi Estrellas of Waukegan (Martin Theatre Plaza) |
| 4:30–5:00 p.m. | Mexican Folkloric Dance Co. of Chicago (Carousel Stage) |
| 5:00–5:30 p.m. | Mariachi Estrellas of Waukegan (Pavilion Entry Gate Path) |
| 5:30–6:15 p.m. | Reach Teach Play Sistema Ravinia Orchestra (Santa Fe Tent on the North Lawn) |
| 7:00 p.m. | Pavilion Opens |
| 7:00–7:25 p.m. | OPENER (Pavilion): DJ Chava |
| 7:30–9:00 p.m. | HEADLINER (Pavilion): Reik |
Performances and Activities
Reik
Pavilion, 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Reik is an award-winning Latin pop trio from Mexicali, Baja California, famous throughout Latin America for their romantic songs and ballads. Their multi-platinum-selling albums, including Un Dia Mas (2008), the Latin Grammy-winning Peligro (2011), Des/Amor (2016), and Ahora (2019), were homes for their decade of chart-dominating singles. The band has won three Latin MTV Music Awards as well as a Latin Grammy nomination as Best New Artist. Their biggest hit to date is 2018’s “Me niego” with Ozuna and Wisin, winning the group Latin Pop Song of the Year honors from the Billboard Music Awards.
DJ Chava
Pavilion Entry Gate Path, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Pavilion, 7:00 p.m. – 7:25 p.m.
DJ Chava is known for her high-energy sets, vivacious personality, and packed parties. Always proud to represent her Mexican American heritage, Chava is sought out for her global-influenced, vibe-enhancing sets where her carefully selected rotation of reggaeton, R&B, house, and hip-hop radiate across the dance floor. Alongside her signature selection of high-energy Latin tracks, Chava always aims to put her audiences onto newer, under-the-radar talent as well, and is constantly on the hunt for fresh artists to incorporate into her sets to keep dance floor attendees on their toes and dancing.
Lucha Libre Internacional
North Lawn, 2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Chicago’s Lucha Libre Internacional brings a combination of traditional “Lucha Libre” (Mexican wrestling) and American wrestling, creating a hybrid style full of impressive acrobatic feats and riveting action.
KidsLawn
North Lawn, Opens at 2:00 p.m.
The family-friendly KidsLawn space on the North Lawn is the perfect place to lay out a picnic and let the kids run between interactive exhibits, including large-scale percussion instruments on which they can make their own kind of music. Open from park opening to close.
Face Painting by A Hardy Party
Santa Fe Tent (North Lawn), 2:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Come to the large tent at the north edge of the park—just down the path from the Picnic Grove—for free face painting by A Hardy Party, featuring festive, colorful designs for the kids.
Mexican Folkloric Dance Co. of Chicago
Carousel Stage, 2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Dance Lesson at Carousel Stage Plaza, 3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Carousel Stage, 4:30 – 5:00 p.m.
The Mexican Folkloric Dance Company of Chicago showcases the richness of Mexican culture and heritage through festive dancing, diverse musical melodies, and breathtaking costumes. Suites reflect pre-Columbian indigenous, Spanish Colonialism, French Intervention, and other European and Eastern cultures, as well as influences of the Caribbean, Southwestern United States, and the 1910 Mexican Revolution. The mixture of all these elements served to develop the present dance and music culture that is “Just Mexican” and unique. Performances are fast-paced and non-stop with many quick costume changes.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency
Mariachi Estrellas of Waukegan
Martin Theatre Plaza, 3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Martin Theatre Plaza, 4:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Pavilion Entry Gate Path, 5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Bravo! of Waukegan’s Mariachi Estrellas has been performing for the schools and greater community since its inception at Andrew Cooke Magnet School in 2015. Many of the students in this ensemble have been performing with the group since the beginning. Current members are in middle school and high school, and the director is Ms. Kathleen Dudley, orchestra/mariachi teacher in Waukegan Public Schools. Mariachi Estrellas has performed for many local events such as Fiestas Patrias, Día de los Muertos, Cinco de Mayo, Fiesta sin Frontera, Fiesta Ravinia, and more.
Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play Sistema Ravinia Orchestra
Santa Fe Tent (North Lawn), 5:30 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Ravinia’s vision of an intensive and transformational music education program, Sistema Ravinia fosters social development through exceptional music training for 4th–12th grade students in Chicago and Lake County public schools. Inspired by the influential El Sistema model, the program provides students daily ensemble and orchestral instruction on their instruments. Sistema Ravinia’s first site was launched at Catalyst Circle Rock School, located in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, and expanded to serve several Waukegan and neighboring Lake County schools in 2015, using Ravinia’s own Bennett Gordon Hall as the program site. Furthering the festival’s connection to Chicago’s Lawndale neighborhood, Sistema Ravinia began a new site in the community in 2020.
Dining / Concessions
Ravinia Market / Scoop Café: Salads and chilled sides, sweets and snacks, and a full selection of beer, wine, ready-to-drink cocktails, and soft drinks are available from park opening at the Ravinia Market and Scoop Café in the Dining Pavilion. Hot food stations in the Market open at 4:00 p.m., including a special lobster tostada!
Food Trucks at the Picnic Grove: At the north side of the park, food trucks serve Mexican food favorites from 2:30 p.m. until Reik takes the stage—including La Cocinita, featuring authentic gourmet street bites from Latin America, and Tacos Marios with their famous Al Pastor tacos and more, plus Lupita’s Bakery serving fresh churros with a variety of fillings and toppings.
Drink Stands: The Lawn Bar patio will be open with its drink menu only, and also serves from a beverage stand at the Picnic Grove.
The Tree Top and Park View restaurants are closed for Fiesta Ravinia.
Sponsors
Fiesta Ravinia Sponsor:
Media Support:
