SAN ANTONIO — Cue the grito! Mariachi music is playing louder than ever in 2021.
Local groups tell KENS 5 their bookings have doubled from pre-pandemic numbers.
This comes after COVID put a stop to the serenades that are intertwined in so many South Texas celebrations.
KENS 5 learned more about the rising demand.
As 2020 celebrations got rebooked to 2021, so did mariachis.
"Quinceañeras, weddings, birthday parties, backyard BBQ celebrations...People are anxious to celebrate, to go out," said Miguel Guzman, with Mariachi Los Galleros de San Antonio.
Pair the events that were pushed back with the new celebrations this year, groups are playing non-stop.
"It could be Thursday night and they'll call us and say, 'Hey I need y'all tomorrow. Are y'all available for Saturday?' And 95% of the time we're not available because we're already booked," said Guzman.
Mariachi Los Galleros de San Antonio has doubled their work, compared to 2019.
"Pre-COVID we were playing on a weekly basis maybe 6 hours," said Guzman. "Now we're doing anywhere from 12 to 15 engagements a week."
Business for Mariachi Las Alteñas is also booming.
"This year has been a quite different for us because I feel like people are making up for lost time," said Valerie Vargas of Mariachi Las Alteñas.
For these musicians, the rise in demand is a pleasure after many groups were left without work in 2020.
"We've been through some hard times," said Vargas. "So I think people are just really loving to be able to appreciate music and music is healing for many people."
This trend is happening nationwide.
Rodri J. Rodriguez, Owner and Producer of Mariachi USA, says more people are hiring mariachis even without a birthday, wedding, or special occasion to celebrate.
"They are the one genre of music that got affected the most because they are in people's homes and hearts the most," said Rodriguez. "Mariachis do have a lot more work now because people are living more vibrantly and more committedly than they were before."
Rodriguez adds, the majority of the mariachis that were able to remain together after the pandemic were the ones booking performances at BBQ's, house parties, birthday parties, and any events separate from restaurants. She says many mariachis that relied solely on restaurants to earn their income aren't performing together anymore.
Mariachi USA has become the premier mariachi music festival in the United States, held at the Hollywood Bowl.
Vargas, who has performed at Mariachi USA in the past, looks forward to the large venue performances in the future.
"We have goals of our own for next year to be able to do more concerts and more live shows for bigger audiences because that's kind of gone down a little bit."