A Napa Valley–based Latin music festival slated to return in May 2026 for its third time has been abruptly canceled.
“Unfortunately, the 2026 Festival La Onda will not be taking place. All ticket buyers who purchased through Front Gate Tickets will receive a full refund in as little as 30 days,” organizers wrote on the event’s website. “We remain hopeful that a future Festival La Onda will be possible. Until then, we are proud of what we created together and deeply grateful to the fans who supported La Onda.”
Organizers did not cite a specific reason for the cancellation. The California Post has reached out for comment.
Front Gate Tickets, the festival’s primary ticketing partner, will issue automatic refunds to the original form of payment, according to organizers. The event was expected to draw around 70,000 attendees.
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The sudden announcement sparked frustration among fans.
In a Reddit thread circulating after the news broke, some users speculated that high ticket prices may have hurt sales.
Others pointed to broader cultural tensions.
“Not surprising at all that a Latino music festival would see diminished ticket sales in this political climate,” one user wrote.
The Spanish-language festival had billed itself as a Latin counterpart to Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, showcasing genres ranging from regional Mexican and reggaeton to rock, hip-hop, pop and salsa.
The two-day event was scheduled for May 30 and 31 and was set to feature headliners Maná, Ivan Cornejo, J Balvin and Christian Nodal.
Additional performers included Danny Ocean, Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Paulo Londra, La Arrolladora Banda El Limón, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Grupo Niche, Molotov, Orishas, Chiquis, Kinky, Ozomatli, and Brazil’s Pedro Sampaio, among others.
In 2025, regional Mexican band Grupo Firme was unable to perform after members’ visas were denied under the Trump administration, drawing backlash from fans at the time.
Whether financial pressures, political headwinds or other factors played a role in this year’s cancellation remains unclear.