Opera Meets Cumbia: Andrea Bocelli to Perform at Mexico’s Zócalo With Los Ángeles Azules & Ximena Sariñana

Andrea Bocelli will join the list of international artists who have performed at the iconic Zócalo in Mexico City on April 18, when he takes to the country’s main public square for a free concert. And he won’t do it alone.

That night, the acclaimed Italian tenor will be accompanied by the Mexican cumbia band Los Ángeles Azules and singer/songwriter Ximena Sariñana, announced Banco Plata, the event’s organizer alongside the city government.

“Can you imagine that fusion? Neither can we, but we can’t wait to hear how it sounds,” said the bank in a message posted on social media on Tuesday night (April 7).

Bocelli will bring his celebrated 1997 album Romanza — one of his most successful and commercially acclaimed — to the Plaza de la Constitución (the official name of the Zócalo) in celebration of its 30th anniversary.

Clara Brugada, Mexico City’s head of government, previously expressed excitement about Bocelli’s performance at the iconic venue. “It will be a magical evening that reaffirms Mexico City as the cultural capital of the world,” she said.

The Zócalo is considered a landmark of great importance, as it is a plaza filled with symbolism where politics, social movements, culture and religion intersect. It is the second-largest public square in the world, only behind Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

One of the earliest concerts held at the Zócalo on record was by Los Tigres del Norte in 1999, which lasted nearly three hours. Since then, artists like Paul McCartney, Roger Waters, Justin Bieber, Shakira, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs and Grupo Firme have performed there before thousands of attendees.

On March 1, Colombian superstar Shakira set a record as the artist who has drawn the largest number of attendees to a free show in the Zócalo, with 400,000 people gathered, according to official figures. The previous record-holder was the Argentine band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, which brought together 300,000 people on June 3, 2023, followed by Grupo Firme, which attracted 280,000 attendees a year earlier.