Tempo Latino, 30 years old: a festival that has become an institution

The thirtieth edition of Tempo Latino coincides with 100 years of musical history

By coincidence, the French reissue of "La Havane à Paris," a work by Alain Boulanger edited by Dan Vernhettes , celebrates a century of Cuban popular music in Paris. From Moisés Simóns and Raoul Zequeira to Camilo Azuquita , Raúl Paz , Yuri Buenaventura , and today Harold López-Nussa and Rolando Luna , France has a long-standing relationship with Latin American musicians, made up of successive waves, the most recent development of which was the spectacular rise of the Parisian scene at the turn of the last century.

While the flame of salsa has gradually faded in the capital, it is worth highlighting the determination of the festival founded in 1994 by Eric Dufau in Vic-Fezensac (Gers). By taking up the torch of Latin music in France, Tempo Latino has become a major player in its history. From 1925 to 2025, from Paris to Vic-Fezensac, the man who introduced salsa to rural France, Yuri Buenaventura, will symbolically celebrate this centenary on Sunday, July 26, in the Joseph-Fourniol arena.

Having welcomed hundreds of artists for three decades, including the greatest figures of traditional Latin music ( Celia Cruz , Rubén Blades , Willie Colón , Cheo Feliciano , Johnny Pacheco , Eddie Palmieri , El Gran Combo, Orquesta Aragón , Omara Portuondo , Compay Segundo , Cachao , Adalberto Álvarez , Los Van Van … No more), Tempo Latino appears to be the guardian of the temple.

We remember the criticisms that the twentieth edition received. Despite the displeasure of the gloomy spirits, the past decade has offered the arena audience the cream of the contemporary scene: Herencia de Timbiquí , Bixiga 70 , Tony Succar 's tribute to Michael Jackson , Cimafunk , Orquesta Akokán , Pacific Mambo Orquesta , Palo , Havana D'Primera , Issac Delgado, Alain Pérez . Not to mention the "sheet metal workers": Oscar D'León's three-hour show, the antics of La 33 , the demands of the Spanish Harlem Orchestra , the love of Yuri Buenaventura , the sharing spirit of Raúl Paz, the loyalty of Sergent Garcia ... Over the years, Tempo Latino has established itself as a true institution.

Long self-proclaimed, not without bravado, El Único, the Gascon event stands out for its singularity. Festivals, with their associative structures and ephemeral stages, seem quite fragile compared to brick-and-mortar institutions. With the global pandemic having played a dirty trick, the thirtieth edition falls thirty-two years after its creation, who will mind? More profoundly, the health crisis has changed the situation, altering audience habits and accelerating the upheavals of the live economy. Covid has forced festivals to adapt, forced them to reinvent themselves.

This turning point marked a profound transformation for Tempo Latino. The result: a more transparent program and increased attention to audience expectations. Above all, the organization has made real efforts in communication. Visiting Vic-Fezensac is no longer synonymous with traveling to unfamiliar territory. Practical information, locations, and highlights (arena stage, "off" concerts, the inauguration at the Conga, church concert, etc.) are now clearly identified. Tempo Latino enjoys national visibility and proudly claims its place as the premier event of its kind in Europe.

For this anniversary, Eric Dufau, founder and artistic director, invited two generations of Cuban music on Friday evening: Eliades Ochoa , ambassador of son, guaracha and guajira, revealed to the world by the Buena Vista Social Club , and Issac Delgado , veteran of timba, in great form with his new album "Mira como vengo". To close the festivities on Sunday, New York salsa will be in the spotlight with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra of Oscar Hernández , a tribute band that has itself become cult. We are impatient to applaud Yuri Buenaventura in the opening act, with a -formidable- tight formation in a show inspired by his new EP, "Ámame". Year of Brazil obliges, Tempo Latino will offer a festive and colorful evening on Saturday with Flavia Coelho and João Selva for a festive and colorful evening. Happy birthday, Tempo Latino !