We welcome the return of Mariachi Wey to Wiltshire Chilli Festival 2023!

The highly entertaining trio will be making a very special live appearance on the main stage, bringing a taste of Mexican culture to the Wiltshire Chilli Festival on Saturday 23rd September!

So, what is Mariachi?  Mariachi is a genre of regional Mexican music that dates back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico.

A mariachi group today can consist of anything as small as a trio to as many as eight violins, two trumpets and a guitar, including a high-pitched vihuela and an acoustic bass guitar called a guitarrón, and all players taking turns singing lead and doing backup vocals.

The origin of the word mariachi is disputed, but most theories attribute it to very deep roots. One theory says that it derives from the name of a wood used to make the mariachi dance platform.  Another theory states that the word comes from the indigenous name for the pilla or cirimo tree.