Listen and dance to musica Mexicana at these 7 venues in Los Angeles

Start the month off the right way by listening to live música Mexicana with a michelada. Keeping the party spirit of the beer cocktail alive, the family-owned Michelada brand hosts a boisterous pop-up party every first Friday of the month. The Lopez family (owners of Oaxacan restaurant Guelaguetza) began this tradition as a series of cumbia parties at local breweries for people to test their product. But as the event gained popularity, they began to rent out the Beehive, an event space in South L.A., to create a more immersive festival-like experience.

Across several stages, DJs and live bandas play a lively mix of classic artists like Los Tucanas de Tijuana and newer groups like Fuerza Regida to a vast crowd. Over the years, First Fridays has become more than a vibrant dance floor, offering flash tattoo artists, hat vendors, a mechanical bull and a selection of local Mexican food. When exploring the open-air venue, odds are high you might run into their mascot, “the Miche Man,” someone dressed in a michelada piñata, responsible for keeping the vibrations high.