Boutique Festivals of Baja Norte

Boutique Festivals of Baja Norte
Review by Kennedy Carr ~ Baja News

Having been a festival officienato, promoter and producer for the last 20 years, like any other professional sport, the body starts to give out. Now semi-retired and living in Baja, I have limited my participation to only a few events a year that cap themselves at 1500 to 3000 attendees in size. There are 2 boutique events located just outside of Ensenada that stand out as my most favorite and the sexiest parties of the year. Starting with the Genius Loci (latin: spirit of place) held annually on the weekend of the summer solstice and the Guadalupe Valle Wine, Food and Music Festival at the end of summer, held this year on September 12th, the weekend before the fall equinox.,

My first festival experience in Mexico was Synthesis 2012, located outside of the ruins of Chichen Itza in Quintana Roo during the Winter Solstice. It was billed as The End of the World celebration with over 2000 attendees coming from all over the planet. Around that same time in Baja California, 2 party promoters from Venice Beach and Ensenada threw a New Year's Eve Fiesta for a select group of approximately fifty friends — a party that planted the seed for Genius Loci.

The event now has successfully summoned gringos from miles and hours away to travel across international borders deep into Baja, Mexico for the past 7 years, proving to be a haven for Southern California’s dance, yoga and surf enthusiast. Genius Loci, now coming into its 8th year, is an award-winning festival founded in 2013. The 4 day experience is skillfully curated with live musicians, renowned West Coast DJs, Yoga and Surf Pros that reside in Los Angeles, San Diego and beyond.

Located alongside a pristine secluded beach, participants wake up to the sound of waves crashing and the smell of ocean air adding additional stimulus to the experience. It serves as an off the grid camping festival and accommodates those who long to explore and travel; but, also love the transcendent vibe of transformational festivals.

The first year in 2013, I was contracted by Genius Loci to bring a 36 foot event dome that I frequently set up at Burning Man and other West Coast festivals. There were approximately 125 attendees that first year. Mostly kids from Los Angeles, half of them working in entertainment, television and film. The event continued to double in size every year thereafter. Each year, it has become a popular destination for Southern California party goers as well as many local Ensenada hipsters. This truly is my most favorite gathering of the year and has become a Family Reunion for both my local Baja and California familia.

Genius Loci occurs on a stretch of beach in the Baja California region known as Punta Cabras, which indigenous people have frequented for 10,000 years, according to festival organizers. Given that, it's essential to show appreciation to the land and its people by leaving without a trace. Compared to other festivals, this one is fairly arduous. The website even encourages people to bring headlamps — and to mind the cliffs at night. There is no cell-phone service and there is no credit-card service. The nearest hotel is a modest drive away. And yet a hotel seems contrary to the freewheeling, adventurous spirit. As the festival organizers put it, do not bring "fussy people" or "bad vibes"

Genius Loci is also the rare sort of festival that encourages attendees to bring their own acoustic guitar or other such instrument — a testament to the faith and trust organizers instill in their patrons. Organizers also encourage attendees to bring extra canned and dry goods, food, and other essentials to donate to local communities – adding a strong note of social consciousness to their environmentalist spirit. Thanks to the remoteness of the location, Genius Loci allows attendees to disconnect from the constant grind of daily life. For three to four days, attendees seemed to return to a simpler time, the focus redirected to family, friends and lovers, not to mention music, yoga and art.

My other most favorite Mexican boutique festival in its 5th year is the Guadalupe Valle Wine, Food and Music Festival located in the heart of Baja’s Wine Country, just 20 minutes north of Ensenada. Unlike Genius Loci which is held on a rugged remote beach south of Ensenada, this annual upscale festival offers the ultimate luxurious experience with elegant cuisine, fine wine, micro brewed beers and a star-spangled international musical lineup at the exclusive Bodegas del Valle Winery.

Many of the female attendees are adorned in the latest latina fashion trends of Baja California, while their male counterparts sport the latest in festival attire. The organizers spare no expense on the profesional stage, sound and lighting set up. The exquisitely curated musical lineup consists mostly of popular international electronic multi-instrumental artists that blend live music with techno and progressive house tracks. Last year’s event added an additional pre-party event at the esteemed Aqua de Vid Resort and Spa, also located in Valle Guadalupe.

From the result of its popularity, Aqua de Vid is now hosting another up-scale boutique mini festival on the 4th of July Weekend (2nd thru the 5th) called SBCLTR Festival 2020 that is featuring World Class Djs, Musicians, Artists, Wellness Programming, Spa, Temazcal Ceremonies, Speaker Sessions, Bungalow Style & Individual Hotel Rooms, Camping and more. Guests will have the options of staying in one of the sexy rooms Agua De Vid offers, purchase glamping options, or bring their own sleeping arrangements. If it is anything like last year's Genius Loci’s After-Party or Guadalupe Valle Festival’s Pre-Party. This will surely be the place to be during this favorite weekend of the summer. See you on the dance floor soon “Nos vemos en la pista de baile pronto”.
http://geniuslocifest.com
https://guadalupevalleyfestival.com
https://www.sbcltrfstvl.com/

* About the author: Few promoters have the claim of having hosted tens of thousands of people in their 24 year career, and counting. Kennedy Carr has been a long time event producer and creator of spaces of interaction for exceptional individuals through conscious events from Northern California to Nicaragua.Under Sarva Dharma Productions, Kennedy has produced hundreds of events of a wide spectrum, that have included live and electronic music artists, educators, yoga instructors, elders, artisans from around the world, and the hearts and souls of all the involved.

During his six years as production lead and content curator for Sacred Spaces at Burning Man from 2010 to 2015, Kennedy dedicated himself to a year-round engagement that included fundraising, networking, stage production and booking with the purpose of providing one of the most iconic social landmarks of this festival throughout the years. This effort came to hand-to-hand with his stage management and production work with the Bhakti/Shakti Fest in Joshua Tree, California (2009-2019) and Raw Spirits Festivals (2005-2009) which saw thousands of souls come through these legendary events. In addition to producing his own shows in San Diego, he also served as an Editor at Large for Vision Magazine and worked as a promoter and publicist for San Diego's World Beat Cultural Center in Balboa Park. Now semi-retired and living in Baja California.