More than 900 artists from 15 countries will perform at the 2016 Pitic International Festival in Hermosillo, Sonora, and Arizonans are invited to have a front-row seat.
“We’re here to share the festival with Arizona, and specifically Tucsonans, whom we feel are part of Hermosillo. We want you to join us and enjoy this great experience,” said Eduardo Lemmen Meyer, director of tourism for the city, during a presentation at the Mexican Consulate in Tucson.
The traditional weekend festival, in its 14th year, celebrates the 316th anniversary of the first official settlements in the area that is now the state capital.
This year, festivities have expanded to a six-day program, from May 26 through May 31.
All events are free.
Along with more days and more artists comes a renewed focus on attracting out-of-town visitors.
“It’s clear we need to re-establish relations with Arizona, not only because we are a border state but because our families and our history, of Sonora and Hermosillo, are linked to Arizona,” Lemmen Meyer said.
Hermosillo is the 10th-largest city in Mexico in terms of growth, and an important part of that is tourism and trade from Arizona, officials said.
The metro area, which includes Kino Bay, is also Sonora’s top tourist destination.
Hermosillo is about a five-hour drive from Tucson.
About 40 percent of the population in Tucson claims Mexican heritage, said Ricardo Pineda, Mexican consul in Tucson, and of those, more than 95 percent have ties to Sonora. The festival provides a great excuse for Tucsonans to visit Hermosillo and reaffirm those bonds, he said.
The expanded festival offers something for everyone, said Margarita Torres, director of the Municipal Institute for Art and Culture.
“We’ve got everything from cumbia, opera, rock, circus acts, dance, film,” she said. “We’re trying to cover everything across the art spectrum so all visitors can have something they enjoy.”
Among the featured acts are Spanish tenor José Carreras, Portuguese singer Ana Moura, Hindi dance collective Dhoad, Mexico’s Sonora Santanera, Grammy-winner Paquito D’Rivera Sextet, English rock group The Villanovas and former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke.
Spread across 27 venues, the festival will also feature art exhibits, presentations and workshops, street theater, indigenous food, and arts and crafts.
Growing this year will guarantee that future editions offer top-tier talent, Torres said, with an expanded footprint allowing different kinds of funding opportunities as well as access to a network of international festivals.
“We’re making sure the festival matures,” Torres said, “and that its high quality can be something permanent.”
