Farruko, smiling from ear to ear, donning an MLB-styled BBF jersey and bedecked in diamonds that are basically shooting rainbows, is wailing out the chorus to one of the most hard-hitting songs of the summer, the anthemic EDM banger “Pepas.” Before him, a sea of festivalgoers (30,000, to be exact) are losing their minds.
It’s Day 2 (Aug. 14) of Baja Beach Fest, the largest Latin music-focused festival in the Americas to resume since the coronavirus pandemic. The two-weekend fest kicked off Aug. 13 in Mexico’s Rosarito Beach, with reggaeton stars Ozuna, J Balvin and Karol G among the headliners, and with strict COVID-19 protocols in place.
After some concertgoers took to social media to criticize enforcement of protocols during Day 1, organizers seemed to be stricter on Saturday, implementing a zero-tolerance policy. For instance, if attendees were spotted without masks and refused to wear them, they would be escorted out of the festival grounds. Temperatures were checked upon entrance, and squirting hand sanitizer on the hands of those moving from section to section was mandatory. Most performers also reminded audiences to leave their masks on.
