2nd Annual Baila el Pueblo–A Desert Music Festival

KXCI’s 2nd Annual Baila el Pueblo Festival on Saturday, March 21st, taking place in the heart of downtown Tucson with headliner Mexican Institute of Sound.

Inspired by the legendary Festivals en el Barrio and decades of Waila Festivalscelebrating the social dance of the Tohono O’odham Nation, we are once again recreating the spirit of dancing together under the Sonoran Desert sky. If you attended our 1st Baila el Pueblo, you know what a special time we had together.

Joining Mexican Institute of Sound will be Ruben “El Gato Negro” Ramos feat. Carrie Rodriguez & Sergio Mendoza & Friends, La Texana, Dámaris Bójor, Las Azaleas, Sage Lacapa, D Faktion Nyne, and a closing DJ set by Afrizona.

The music will be non-stop, flowing from one stage to the next as we showcase the diverse sounds of the Southwest and beyond. We have an incredible lineup with 7 bands and a closing DJ set that represents international, regional, and local traditions to inspire you.

Saturday, March 21st – Doors open at 3:00 PM
Cathedral Square, Downtown Tucson

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The 2nd Annual Baila el Pueblo–A Desert Music Festival, celebrating our regional cultural diversity, returns Saturday, March 21st, 2026. Join us for this all-day musical showcase at Cathedral Square in the heart of Downtown Tucson. In 2025, more than 1,000 guests experienced a vibrant array of southwestern musical traditions along with an eclectic marketplace of local food vendors and artisans. With your help, 2026 will be even better!

To that end, KXCI is thrilled to present our festival headliner–Mexican Institute of Sound (M.I.S.), the acclaimed project of Mexico City-based musician, DJ, and producer Camilo Lara. For over two decades, M.I.S. has blended funk, cumbia, and electronic music with folk and traditional influences, celebrating the diverse sounds that weave together Mexico’s intricate cultural tapestry. Known for electrifying live performances and a fearless approach to sonic experimentation, Lara has collaborated with artists worldwide and here in Tucson, bringing Mexico’s vibrant musical landscape to audiences everywhere.

Mexican Institute of Sound
Ruben “El Gato Negro” Ramos Featuring
Carrie Rodriguez & Sergio Mendoza & Friends
La Texana
Dámaris Bójor
Las Azaleas
Sage Lacapa
D Faktion Nyne
DJ Set by Afrizona

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UA Humanities Africana Studies Professors celebrate Black History Month on KXCI with Guest DJ Sessions on The Home Stretch

Eight years ago, KXCI began a fruitful partnership with the University of Arizona to celebrate Black History Month.

Every February, Home Stretch host Hannah Levin welcomes professors from the College of Humanities’ Africana Studies Department for guest DJ sessions during The Home Stretch each week.

The purpose of these sessions is to utilize the vivid beauty and unique power of music to illuminate important moments in Black history and culture. Whether the core theme is identity, gender, food, religion, dance, film, or larger contemporary concepts such as Afrofuturism, we create space for these gifted educators to share the ways in which music intersects with their areas of academic expertise.

The result has been a true gift in the form of consistently inspiring, intelligent conversations that spark to life through music’s distinct lens, refracting these topics with a warmth and accessibility that only music can provide.

Learn more about the partnership and the College of Humanities’ Africana Studies Department Professors here.
A man with a fedora is seated outdoors leaning forward

First up in February, Professor Johnny Castro returns to the show. Castro is a third-year Ph.D. student in Critical Dance Studies at the University of California, Riverside. He holds an M.A. in Creative Enterprise Cultural Leadership from Arizona State University. He is a member of the Furious Styles Crew and co-founder of the Worth The Weight event series. Johnny is a leader in the Arizona dance community as a b-boy, practitioner, and event organizer/host and has witnessed unique aesthetic trends form in the Arizona dance scene. His research is rooted in the lived experiences of street dancers and examines the relationship between social media and feelings of belonging and dis-belonging as experienced by street dancers.