Free Event! Celebrate the Mexican and Chicano culture, food, art, and music this weekend at one of the most popular festivals, The East End Street Fest.

Eduardo Antonio Trevino and Alan Aguilar just competed in the 28th Annual Mariachi Extravaganza in San Antonio - and both came home winners.

HOUSTON – A University of Houston-Downtown student has earned a spot in the finals for a mariachi vocal contest. Senior Jimmy Arredondo, who is one of the vocalists on UHD’s mariachi group “Los Caimanes” (Spanish for “The Gators”), will be the only Houstonian to compete in the 26th Annual Mariachi Vargas National Vocal Competition, the largest and long-running mariachi festival in the nation, taking place this Saturday virtually. Arredondo submitted a production from his idol and four-time Latin Grammy winner and mariachi singer Pedro Fernandez “El Aventurero” (The Adventurer). “His work ethnic, sheer determination and resilience has got him this far,” Vasquez told KPRC 2. The 26th Annual Mariachi Vargas National Vocal Contest will stream on YouTube this Saturday at 7 p.m.

Celebrating a quintessential element of Mexico’s cultural heritage, the search engine has created a video Doodle that greets users with Mariachi music. Today #GoogleDoodle celebrates one of the most iconic and popular elements of the 🇲🇽 culture & identity: Mariachi music 🎼🎺❗️🔖 In 2011, @UNESCO inscribed “Mariachi Music” as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Check out➕👉🏼 https://t.co/peZbkR9RkZ@GoogleDoodles pic.twitter.com/hkvhokRRz2 — Embassy of Mexico in the U.S. (@EmbamexEUA) November 24, 2020According to Google, during a session held the week of November 22, 2011, UNESCO inscribed Mariachi on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Since its birth during the 19th century, Mariachi music has evolved, mixing itself with other genres from jazz to reggae; however, it remains a strong representation of Mexican history and culture. The video Doodle featured on Google’s homepage displays a Mariachi serenade of the classic song, “Cielito Lindo.”