Pop star Enrique Iglesias will headline a new festival of Latin American music and art near Los Angeles, organizers announced.

The October 24-25 event at the Orange County Fair and Event Center, called the "L Festival - Feria Cultural Latinoamericana," comes amid a proliferation of live music happenings across the United States.

Iglesias, the Spanish-born singer and major crossover figure in Latin pop, will be among acts from 10 countries spanning genres including tropical and electronic dance music.

Other performers will include veteran Mexican acts such as 65-year-old crooner Juan Gabriel and La Arrolladora Banda El Limon.

Victor Gonzalez, president of Universal Music Latin Entertainment, a division of music giant Universal that is leading the festival, said Monday the event was "crafted for the Hispanic family, where music, art and gastronomy will converge."

The label is running the festival with CMN, a Latino-oriented event company in Chicago. The organizers said the festival would be the first of its kind in the United States to be run entirely by Latin entertainment companies.

Live music events have rapidly grown in number in the United States in recent years, following the success of major festivals such as Coachella in southern California.
Source: AFP