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New to this event? This is the 2026 logistics page. For the history of the festival, the Héctor Lavoe connection and what La Guancha is like the rest of the year, see our complete guide: Ponce Cuna de la Salsa Fest: The Complete Guide.
TL;DR: The second Cuna de la Salsa Fest runs Friday 31 July to Sunday 2 August 2026 at La Guancha in Ponce, free of charge, dedicated to the centenary of composer Tite Curet Alonso. Three days, one stage, and a free SITRAS shuttle from three satellite parking lots.
Cuna de la Salsa Fest 2026 at a glance
- What: Cuna de la Salsa Fest, second edition
- When: Friday 31 July to Sunday 2 August 2026
- Where: Complejo Recreativo y Cultural La Guancha, Ponce, on the Tarima Héctor Lavoe
- Admission: Free
- Dedication: Centenary of Catalino “Tite” Curet Alonso (1926 to 2003)
- Start times: 6:00 PM Friday, 6:00 PM Saturday, 11:00 AM Sunday
- Produced by: Madera Events, Municipio Autónomo de Ponce, Salsoul 99.1
Over 20 artists are billed across the three days. Primera Hora put the count at “more than 20 stars” in its interview with José Alberto “El Canario” on 20 July 2026.
Why 2026 is the year to go: the Tite Curet centenary
Catalino “Tite” Curet Alonso was born in Guayama on 12 February 1926 and died in Baltimore on 5 August 2003. He wrote the songs other people are famous for: “Anacaona” and “Las caras lindas” for Cheo Feliciano, “Periódico de ayer” for Héctor Lavoe, “La tirana” for La Lupe, “Juan Albañil,” “Plantación adentro.”
The standard figure is that he wrote more than 2,000 songs. Worth knowing: during this centenary year, collector and researcher Luis Guillermo Rivera Izquierdo told NotiCel that his catalogue is likelier to sit around 1,400. Either way, no other composer’s fingerprints are on this much of the salsa canon.
The whole 2026 program is built around that catalogue, and the Sunday closing set is an orchestra assembled specifically to play it.
Friday 31 July: the ponceño night
Doors and first set: 6:00 PM.
- Junte Ponceño with Wito Colón, Dakota Flore and Kriptony Texeira
- Charlie Aponte y su Orquesta
- Orquesta Abran Paso with special guests Anthony Colón, Yolanda Rivera and Luigi Texidor
Friday is the hometown card. Charlie Aponte spent decades as a lead voice of El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. Yolanda Rivera is one of the names the mayor’s office cites when it makes the case that Ponce produced the genre’s voices, and she is on the flyer, not just in the press release.
Saturday 1 August: the veterans
First set: 6:00 PM.
- Don Perignon y la Puertorriqueñísima
- Willie Rosario y su Orquesta
- Moncho Rivera y su Orquesta
Willie Rosario turned 102 on 6 May 2026, a birthday marked by Salsoul, the festival’s official station, which describes him as still playing his timbal when he is called. He has fronted the orchestra for more than 60 years and is a credible candidate for the oldest actively performing musician on the island.
Temper the expectation, though. Rosario has had mobility problems for years, and at his own 100th-birthday concert in San Juan in April 2024 he was off the stage for stretches of the night. An orchestra billed under its bandleader’s name is not a guarantee that the bandleader plays. Go Saturday anyway, and treat seeing him as the upside rather than the plan.
Sunday 2 August: the centenary closing
First set: 11:00 AM. This is the long day and the big one.
- Papote Alvarado y el Grupo Esencia, marking the group’s 30th anniversary
- Bobby Valentín y su Orquesta
- José Alberto “El Canario” (Dominican Republic)
- Luis Enrique y su Orquesta
- Andy Montañez y su Orquesta
- Orquesta del Centenario de Tite Curet, under the musical direction of Pete Perignon, with Tito Allen, Herman Olivera, Papo Sánchez, Jeremy Bosch and Willy García
The closing junte de soneros is the reason to stay to the end. Salsoul, the event’s official station, has described it as the emotional centerpiece of the weekend.
One note on sourcing: the official flyer groups Willy García inside the Centenario orchestra, while Primera Hora and Salsoul list the junte as Tito Allen, Herman Olivera, Jeremy Bosch and Papo Sánchez with García billed separately. Treat the running order as flexible.
La Guancha, Ponce · Tarima Héctor Lavoe
Driving in: exit 104A off PR-52, then PR-12 south through the port area. Free shuttle drops at the event stop on Calle Méndez Vigo.
Open in Google Maps
Parking and the free SITRAS shuttle
Do not drive to the gate. In 2025 the municipality counted roughly 1,000 spaces at La Guancha for a crowd of about 40,000, and the math has not improved.
For 2026, SITRAS, the Ponce municipal transit system, is running free park-and-ride service from three lots. Visit Ponce advertises more than 500 spaces across them plus free transport to the venue. The shuttle drops at a dedicated event stop on Calle Méndez Vigo, beside La Guancha.
The three lots:
- Parque Urbano Dora Colón Clavell
- Complejo Ferial de Puerto Rico
- Polideportivo Frankie Colón Alers, Los Caobos
Hours, with a caveat. The SITRAS website lists lot and route hours as 4:00 PM to 12:00 AM Friday and Saturday, and 10:00 AM to 12:00 AM Sunday. The SITRAS printed flyers circulating on social media list 5:30 PM to 12:00 AM Friday and Saturday, and 11:30 AM to 12:00 AM Sunday. Those do not agree. Plan around the later times and call ahead if you need the early window.
Lot rules: no outside drinks, food or weapons in the SITRAS lots.
SITRAS contact: 787-616-3099 for calls, text or WhatsApp. General info line 787-813-5111.
SITRAS park-and-ride lots · free shuttle to La Guancha
Free shuttle drops at the event stop on Calle Méndez Vigo, beside La Guancha. No outside drinks, food or weapons in the lots. Hours vary by day, so confirm before you travel. SITRAS: 787-616-3099 (call, text or WhatsApp).
SITRAS route and hours
Follow along for live updates
Puerto Rico runs on Facebook, and this event is no exception. For set-time changes, weather calls and day-of announcements, the municipal tourism account is faster and more reliable than anything else:
- Facebook: Visit Ponce
- Instagram: @visitponcepr
- Website: visitponce.com
- Transport: sitrasponce.com/salsafest
Salsoul 99.1 is the official station and broadcasts around the event, which is the easiest way to follow it if you are on the island but not in Ponce.
Practical notes for the weekend
Sunday starts at 11:00 AM in August. That is direct sun on an exposed waterfront for the first several hours. Bring shade, water and sunscreen, or arrive after 4:00 PM and accept that you will miss Grupo Esencia.
Bring cash. Food comes from the La Guancha kiosks and food trucks and card acceptance is inconsistent under load.
Stay in Ponce. Sets run to around midnight and San Juan is roughly ninety minutes back up PR-52. Book now if you have not; the south fills up on festival weekend.
Getting there: exit 104A off PR-52, then PR-12 south through the port area. Our driving in Puerto Rico guide covers the rest. Flying in, Ponce’s own Mercedita airport (PSE) is about ten minutes from the venue and currently serves Orlando and Fort Lauderdale.
Going this weekend? Report back.
We will keep updating this page through the weekend as set times shift and the lot situation becomes clear. If you are there, tell us in the comments which lot you used and how long the shuttle took. That is the detail nobody publishes and everybody needs next year.
For the full history of the festival, the Héctor Lavoe statue at La Guancha and the argument over whether Ponce really is the cradle of salsa, see our complete guide to the Ponce Cuna de la Salsa Fest. Details are subject to change; confirm on the official channels above before you travel. More on the region in our Ponce guide and our roundup of Puerto Rico events in July 2026.
