Lalo Guerrero Legacy Festival
NOV 6 & 7, 2026
The Freight’s second annual Legacy Festival honors the Father of Chicano Music, Eduardo “Lalo” Guerrero. Co-curated by The Freight’s Director of Programming PC Muñoz and Lalo’s son, recording artist Mark Guerrero, this celebration gathers modern musical icons shaped by Lalo’s legacy with two nights of concerts and other activities including a participatory Lalo Guerrero ofrenda, a marigold-making station, and free snacks while they last.
Lalo Guerrero (1916–2005) was a Mexican-American artist whose restless versatility spanned salsa, norteña, banda, rancheras, boleros, corridos, cumbias, mambos, cha cha chás, swing, rock & roll, and blues. A recipient of the NEA National Heritage Fellowship and the National Medal of Arts, he left a body of work that still echoes across genres and generations.
Emcee: Chuy Varela
$75 (all fees included)
EVENING CONCERTS
Rockin’ Jalapeño Band
Mark Guerrero
Special Guest: Jerry Salas of El Chicano
Friday, November 6
Doors: 7:00PM / Show: 8:00PM
$44 (all fees included)
La Doña
Mark Guerrero
Special Guest: Jerry Salas of El Chicano
Saturday, November 7
Doors: 7:00PM / Show: 8:00PM
$44 (all fees included)
Saturday, November 7 | 11AM-4PM
11AM: Yvonne Martinez – Author/activist Yvonne Martinez presents a stirring monologue about Southern California Chicano culture and growing up in East LA, near Lalo Guerrero’s nightclub.
12PM: Emcee Infinite – San Francisco hip-hop artist/actor/theater phenom Emcee Infinite offers a Pachuco-flavored hip-hop set with musical nods to Lalo Guerrero and other Chicano legends.
1PM: Christian O. Paiz – Author/UC Berkeley professor Christian O. Paiz leads a deep dive into his book The Strikers of Coachella: A Rank-and-File History of the UFW Movement as well as Lalo Guerrero’s connection to the movement and the Coachella valley.
2PM: Miguel Govea and Susan Peña – Longtime music educators Miguel Govea and Susan Peña lead an interactive workshop exploring the diasporic African influence on Chicano music-making and Lalo Guerrero’s work.
3PM: Mark Guerrero and PC Muñoz – The Freight’s Director of Programming PC Muñoz interviews Lalo Guerrero’s son, recording artist and festival co-curator Mark Guerrero, about Mark/s decades-long career, creative relationship with his father, Chicano music historian work, and putting together the festival.
FREE Satellite Events
Saturday, September 5 | 11AM PST (Online)
Dom Flemons’ Mexican-American Roots and Celebration of Lalo Guerrero
Roots music legend Dom Flemons and wife/partner Vania Kinard explore Dom’s Chicano roots, the music of the American Southwest, and Lalo Guerrero’s long-enduring influence.
Thursday, October 8 | 7PM, Medicine for Nightmares (3036 24th St., San Francisco)
Poetic Reimaginations of Lalo Guerrero Songs
Poets Josiah Alderete, soledad con carne, Louis “El Panadero” Gutierrez, and Marisol Cadena reimagine the songs of Lalo Guerrero, alongside musician Josiah Flores. Curated by Josiah Alderete.
Saturday, October 17 | 7PM, Medicine for Nightmares (3036 24th St., San Francisco)
Lalo Guerrero Platica y Vinyl Listening Party with Chuy Varela
Longtime KCSM Music Director Chuy Varela leads a platica and listening party focusing on the music of Lalo Guerrero. Curated by Josiah Alderete.
