ANAHEIM, Calif. — Penske Media’s inaugural music, food and arts festival LA3C will hit Los Angeles Historic State Park Dec. 10-11 to celebrate the rich artistic melting pot the city is known for.
The festival will have performances by Megan Thee Stallion, Maluma, Snoop Dogg, Seventeen and Cuco, among others. Even with the lineup only including a small number of Los Angeles-bred artists — which seems puzzling considering the intent to celebrate Angeleno culture — it does reflect L.A. in other facets.
As Juan Mora, CEO of LA3C, put it, the festival represents Los Angeles by creating a range of multi-genres and ethnic backgrounds on the bill and, most importantly, accumulating specific data on what those in the city listen to most.
“The process of putting together the lineup came from a lot of research,” Mora shared in a recent phone interview. “Through a platform called Luminate, which does the charts for Billboard, we worked with them to really understand the fabric and what people listen to most in the city. But we also wanted to research the bands and genres that were more listened to overall. We always had in mind that we wanted to create a diverse lineup of artists from around the world, but we also wanted to ensure that even if every artist is not born and raised here, they make the city a big component of their careers.”
Joining Megan Thee Stallion and Snoop Dogg on Saturday, K-pop superstars Seventeen will put together a special one-hour set for fans who couldn’t catch the show during the Be the Sun Tour, which stopped at Kia Forum in Inglewood back in August. Other artists include Free Nationals, Shawn Wasabi and Kyle. Over on the Hot Import Nights Stage, Mustard will headline with support from AJ Hernez, Cuco, Freya Fox and more.
Sunday will see sets by Maluma, Piso 21, Gerardo Ortiz, Fonseca, Chesca, Marc Segui and Monogem. The Hot Import Nights Stage will be led by Tokimonsta with sets from Accia, Arius, Cam Girl, Kromi, Lolo and more.
The festival will also leverage Penske Media’s various brands to offer exclusive activations for attendees, an essential staple for the two-day festival, Mora shared. Ticketholders can experience a range of events: National Geographic Documentary Short Film Showcase, IndieWire, Shorts TV, SHE Media’s Meaningful Marketplace and Variety’s Music for Screens, which will also host special guest Cate Blanchett.
“The idea was to consider opening these events to a larger part of the community attending the festival,” he explained. “The different brands have been putting together some amazing events over the years and we wanted to include that content in the offering we have created.”
“One of the exhibitions, SHE Media, brings the possibility of something that’s usually written for editorial into life,” he continued. “SHE Media will host Meaningful Marketplace, bringing together some of the country’s best BIPOC vendors and women entrepreneurs. So we wanted to make that come to life for people to experience. That’s only one of many activations that will add value for anyone wanting to learn more about it at the festival.”
Mora notes that brand activations have gradually evolved as a vital addition for Penske-owned properties such as the multiday music and arts festivals South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, and Life Is Beautiful in Las Vegas, making it an easy choice to include them at LA3C. Coming out of a rough few years due to the pandemic, he explains it was important for Penske’s CEO, Jay Penske, to also give back to the community with events like LA3C.
As for food, the selection is specifically curated to highlight the medley of cultures and L.A.’s vibrant food scene. With more than 20 food and beverage vendors, the list includes local restaurants and some of the city’s favored food trucks. Mora notes that the goal is to serve the best vendors creating economic and social development within their communities. Appearances from Lil’ Bobacita, All Dat Dim Sum, Ramen Hood, Tepito Coffee and Ridges Churro Bar will offer flavors galore all weekend long.
With LA3C’s debut this year, Mora shares that this is only the beginning. The intent of LA3C is to stand as a strong pillar in the world’s creative capital for years to come, making the event a staple in Los Angeles.
“We certainly hope to be a catalyzer for many organizations around the city, to be excited and proud of the city that we have and live in and showing the world what an amazing place this is,” he said.
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LA3C FESTIVAL
When: 1-11 p.m. Dec. 10; noon-10 p.m. Dec. 11
Where: Los Angeles State Historic Park at 1245 N Spring Street
Tickets: $99 single-day general admission; $179 weekend general admission; $149 Single-day general admission-plus; $239 weekend general admission-plus; $349 single-day VIP; $579 weekend VIP. All tickets are available at la3c.com.
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