Marking milestones with music
El Centro marks the yearly anniversary of the city's incorporation by throwing a party featuring live bands and a fireworks display
It’s going to get loud in El Centro as crowds gather for the fourth annual Music Festival & Fireworks Show on April 9, 2011.
The evening will feature local live bands with backgrounds in a variety of musical genres, capping off with Siren’s Crush—the event's headliner act.
Once this band leaves the stage, the night sky will light up with an array of colours accompanied by sounds of explosions from a fireworks display that almost rivals the Fourth of July fireworks.
“People love it,” said Kristie Riester, director of El Centro’s parks and recreation department. “Who doesn’t like to come out and see some fireworks?”
Now in its fourth year, the Music Festival & Fireworks Show started in 2008 as a celebration of the centennial anniversary of the city.
The event is held in El Centro's Stark Field, a professional-sized baseball diamond, and local businesses and service groups will be on hand to sell food, drinks and a variety of artisans' wares.
Other notable aspects of the festival include a play area with inflatable enclosures for kids and possibly a paintball course, something that was featured in last year's activities.
More fun nearby
If that doesn’t satisfy your music cravings, there is the Mariachi Festival Sin Fronteras in neighbouring Calexico, roughly 40 kilometres from El Centro.
The festival is spread out over a few days before the headlining concert wraps it all up on Saturday, May 14, 2011, at Crummett Park. Street vendors will be selling everything from homemade food and treats to arts and crafts creations to event T-shirts.
A mariachi idol contest—following the same format as the popular American Idol TV show—is held prior to the festival. The top three entrants, selected by local judges, will perform on Saturday, with the crowd choosing the ultimate winner.
