The festival will feature music, dancing, authentic food and art for people of all ages and background to enjoy. The festival atmosphere offers entertainment for guests of all ages and all backgrounds.
For more information Visit www.CZS.org/Viva or call (708) 688-8000.
Location Brookfield Zoo, 8400 31st St. - Brookfield, Ill. 60513
Admission and Parking
- ¡Viva la Fiesta! entertainment is free with regular zoo admission.
- Regular zoo admission is $15 for adults, $10.50 for children ages 3-11 and senior citizens (65 and over). Children 2 and under are free. Car parking is $10.00, and bus parking is $12.00. (Parking includes a Cook County tax.)
- A limited number of 250 reserved lawn tickets will be available per day for only $5. These seats guarantee a view of the stage in a private, sectioned off area.
- Guests can upgrade to the VIP pavilion to experience the cuisine, refreshments, festivities and music up-close. VIP tickets include general admission to the zoo, parking, access to the VIP pavilion, reserved seating directly in front of the stage and an authentic Latin-inspired all-you-can-eat buffet. The cost for a VIP ticket for adults is $45 ($35 for zoo members) and children ages 3-11 are $30 ($20 for zoo members). Receive a $5 discount for the VIP ticket if purchased by May 31. A total of 50 VIP tickets will be available per day.
Saturday, June 1
- 3:30 p.m. Headliner—Three-time Billboard award-winner Montez De Durango
- Noon—Academia de Baile Angelitos (dance performance)
- 1:30 p.m.—Los Franco de Jalisco
Sunday, June 2
- 4:00 p.m. Headliner—Bachata Heigthz
- Noon—Flores de Mexico and Proyecto Latino (dance performance)
- 1:30 p.m.—Grupo Afinca'o
Saturday, June 8
- 3:30 p.m. Headliner—2013 Grammy award winner Quetzal
- Noon—Los 5 Magnificos de la Quebradita (dance performance)
- 1:30 p.m.—Grammy and Latin Grammy award nominee Sones De Mexico Ensemble
Sunday, June 9
- 3:30 p.m. Headliner—Critically-acclaimed Venezuelan band Los Amigos Invisibles
- Noon—Lisa "La Boriqua" & Latin Street Dance Academy will take the stage and teach some moves to guests
- 1:30 p.m.—Spanish Flow
Saturday, June 15
- 3:30 p.m. Headliner—Puerto Rican four-time Grammy nominee Plena Libre
- Noon—Lisa "La Boriqua" & Latin Street Dance Academy will demonstrate salsa and cha cha lessons
- 1:30 p.m.—Willy Torres and Angel Melendez & the 911 Mambo
Sunday, June 16
- 4:00 p.m.—Four-time nominee to the Billboard Latin Music Awards Toby Love
- Noon—Lisa "La Boriqua" will demonstrate Cumbia & Bachata dance
- 1:30 p.m.—Guayacol & Alex Nova
- 2:45 p.m.—DJ Kane of Kumbia Kings
Also joining in the celebration will be DJs Alex Perez on June 1, 8, 9, and 15; Dwight Burr on June 2; and Xtreme on June 16, who will be entertaining guests with upbeat Latin-themed music prior to each day's live performances.
Background on Headiner Entertainment Chicago-based Montez De Durango came together as a musical group in 1996, led by founder and music director José Luis Terrazas, as several talented musicians with a desire to make an impact on Mexican regional music. They have received Billboard recognition as Duranguense Artist of the Year and won the Lo Nuestro award in the Mexican Regional Album, Duo or Group category.
The phenomenon, Bachata Heightz, a New York based bachata music group came together eight years ago. The group has been one of the early pioneers of what is now known as 'street style' in the genre of bachata, with influences such as hip hop, R&B and rock.
Quetzal is an ensemble of musicians with the goal of creating good music that tells the social, cultural, political and musical stories of people in struggle. Lead singer/songwriter Martha Gonzalez calls the group an East Los Angeles Chicano rock group with roots in the complex cultural currents of life in the barrio, social activism, feminism, and rock and roll musical beginnings.
Los Amigos Invisibles first got their start in 1995 and their sound is based in the gozadera, an irresistible fusion of Latin rhythms with fiery funk and lounge music. The group relocated from their native Venezuela to New York City and established themselves in the dance music scene. They have performed on television programs like the Jimmy Kimmel Show, and continue to tour the nation.
With a thirteen-album career, Plena Libre is a 12-piece Puerto Rican-based ensemble of virtuoso musicians. The band infuses their contemporary Caribbean compositions with a deep sense of the unique indigenous musical traditions, known as plena and bomba, which developed on the island over a century ago. A culmination of African, Spanish, and Caribbean sounds, plena was born in the barrios (slums) of Puerto Rico in the early 20th century.
Toby Love is one of the pioneers of the modernization of bachata music. In 2008, he received four nominations to the Billboard Latin Music Awards for songs included in his debut album. Toby Love is no stranger to the stage or putting on an enthusiastic show—one of his trademark characteristics.
