The Mexican rock scene was strong, and Monterrey was missing a festival that would bring together the best of the genre. Monterrey has been the birthplace of great artists in all styles: regional like Ramón Ayala, pop like Gloria Trevi, hip-hop like Control Machete, or rockers like Plastilina Mosh or Jumbo. They kept an iconic lion as the festival's image and removed the 'Rock Fest' part to include other rhythms. It was so well-organized that nearly 35,000 paid attendees showed up. It was clear that the youth of Monterrey wanted more festivals of this kind. It is a huge festival, but it retains that northern flavor that has characterized it since its first edition. Now the festival is three days long with over 100 bands sharing different stages. Despite their extensive experience organizing dances, they had no experience with massive festivals like Vive Latino. By Sunday, The Killers, Zoé, The Lumineers, or Purple Disco Machine will share the stage with Molotov, Panteón Rococó, or DJO. For those who don't know it yet, I highly recommend Pa’l Norte. The name was simple: 'Pa’l Norte Rock Festival'. Mass events were scarce, and the cultural life of the 'Sultana del Norte' had almost faded. Coincidentally, two entrepreneurs (Oscar and Chuy Flores) saw a business opportunity in that era. The following year, they were denied permission to hold it in San Pedro and had to move to Parque Fundidora, their home since 2013. The bands that were part of this Rock Fest included Zoé, Kinky, Enjambre, and Calle 13, among others. The venue they chose was in San Pedro Garza (the Diego Rivera park). Ely Guerra was at the same festival as Foster The People and Los Tigres del Norte. Pa’l Norte has hosted Imagine Dragons, Garbage, J Balvin, The Killers, Placebo, The Offspring, Muse, Franz Ferdinand, and Justice. The sky is the limit. The second day will feature Guns N’ Roses, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, and Grupo Frontera, who have had an exceptional year, sweeping everything in their path. That was the year the entire country took notice of what this very unique festival was all about. And that wasn't the end of it: year after year, Pa’l Norte has become the great northern event. Yes, it's true, there are too many bands to see, but what is life for if not to enjoy music? However, around 2010, the city was going through a very turbulent and violent period, which limited many public shows. With more experience, they decided to expand it to two days and invite unexpected artists, creating unprecedented crossovers: Juanes sharing the bill with Snoop Dogg, Molotov, or DLD. Thus, in its second edition, it featured Café Tacvba, Hello Seahorse, Natalia Lafourcade, or Los Románticos de Zacatecas. But the true internationalization came in 2014. Even so, they risked hiring several groups to test their luck with the experiment. It was a wild idea; no one had ever thought of anything like it. It changed from autumn to spring and bet on international-caliber artists. For 2026, the headliners include high-caliber figures: the first day will feature Tyler, The Creator (who just gave a super show at the Palacio de los Deportes), Interpol, Deftones, and Morat.
