Corona Capital’s 2023 Festival Brought Some Of Music’s Brightest Stars Back To Mexico

The most striking thing I witnessed when first covering Mexico City’s Corona Capital in 2015 was the rabid fanfare. Even during the festival’s first couple of hours for performances by what one might refer to as “baby bands,” massive crowds of super-fans singing along to every word descended on each stage. The scenes were inspiring — a result of many artists’ relatively rare tour routes coming through Latin America and in some cases, for the first time.

That trend has persisted into the present with audiences at this year’s edition — headlined by Arcade Fire, Blur, and The Cure and held Nov. 17-19 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez — going absolutely wild during the majority of sets from 88 bands playing across five stages. Spread out among a capacity of roughly 80,000 people per day (Mexico’s largest festival in history), these moments positioned the event as one of the country’s most significant reunions between music fans and artists since the conclusion of Covid lockdowns.

Such statistics bestow Corona Capital with the status of a crucial cultural occurrence, perhaps only slightly hampered by the fact that it’s now the most expensive festival in the world with 2023 general admission three-day passes topping out at upwards of $700 (about 12,600 pesos), meaning that attendance is ostensibly reserved for primarily affluent audiences. That said, drastic plunges in after-market ticket prices increased affordability, allowing for more widespread music-fueled catharsis among artists’ Mexico City debuts and long-awaited performances alike.

Read on for a list and images of the weekend’s standouts who fall into one of those two categories, followed by a full festival photo gallery.

Yard Act (Mexico debut), Friday on the Corona stage:

Yard Act
David Brendan Hall
Yard Act
David Brendan Hall
Yard Act
David Brendan Hall
Yard Act
David Brendan Hall

The Walkmen (first Mexico appearance in 11 years), Friday on the Corona stage:

The Walkmen
David Brendan Hall
The Walkmen
David Brendan Hall
The Walkmen
David Brendan Hall
The Walkmen
David Brendan Hall
The Walkmen
David Brendan Hall

Sampa the Great (Mexico debut), Friday in the Viva Tent:

Sampa The Great
David Brendan Hall
Sampa The Great
David Brendan Hall
Sampa The Great
David Brendan Hall
Sampa The Great
David Brendan Hall

Pulp (first Mexico appearance in 11 years), who debuted new song “Background Noise,” Friday on the Vans stage:

Pulp
David Brendan Hall
Pulp
David Brendan Hall
Pulp
David Brendan Hall
Pulp
David Brendan Hall
Pulp
David Brendan Hall

Kasabian (first Mexico appearance since 2017), Saturday on the Corona Stage:

Kasabian
David Brendan Hall
Kasabian
David Brendan Hall
Kasabian
David Brendan Hall
Kasabian
David Brendan Hall

Kim Petras (Mexico debut), Saturday on the Vans stage:

Kim Petras
David Brendan Hall
Kim Petras
David Brendan Hall
Kim Petras
David Brendan Hall
Kim Petras
David Brendan Hall

Fever Ray (Mexico debut), Saturday in the Viva Tent:

Fever Ray
David Brendan Hall
Fever Ray
David Brendan Hall
Fever Ray
David Brendan Hall
Fever Ray
David Brendan Hall
Fever Ray
David Brendan Hall

Blur (first Mexico appearance since 2015), Saturday on the Corona stage:

Blur
David Brendan Hall
Blur
David Brendan Hall
Blur
David Brendan Hall
Blur
David Brendan Hall
Blur
David Brendan Hall
Blur
David Brendan Hall
Blur
David Brendan Hall

Feist (first Mexico appearance since 2017), Sunday on the Vans stage:

Feist
David Brendan Hall
Feist
David Brendan Hall
Feist
David Brendan Hall
Feist
David Brendan Hall

Sleater-Kinney (first Mexico appearance since 2015, at Corona Capital), Sunday on the Vans stage:

Sleater-Kinney
David Brendan Hall
Sleater-Kinney
David Brendan Hall
Sleater-Kinney
David Brendan Hall
Sleater-Kinney
David Brendan Hall
Sleater-Kinney
David Brendan Hall

The Cure doesn’t fall into either category as they tour Latin America frequently (they last performed in Mexico City in 2019), but they deserve an accolade for the largest audience of the festival by far, nearly drawing the entirety of the festival’s capacity for their epic two-and-a-half-hour long, 28-song set Sunday on the Corona stage:

The Cure
David Brendan Hall
The Cure
David Brendan Hall
The Cure
David Brendan Hall
The Cure
David Brendan Hall
The Cure
David Brendan Hall
The Cure
David Brendan Hall
The Cure
David Brendan Hall
The Cure
David Brendan Hall

Check out the rest of our Corona Capital 2023 exclusive photos below.

Ladytron

Ladytron
David Brendan Hall
Ladytron
David Brendan Hall
Ladytron
David Brendan Hall
Ladytron
David Brendan Hall

Berlin

Berlin
David Brendan Hall
Berlin
David Brendan Hall
Berlin
David Brendan Hall
Berlin
David Brendan Hall

Kimbra

Kimbra
David Brendan Hall
Kimbra
David Brendan Hall
Kimbra
David Brendan Hall
Kimbra
David Brendan Hall

Jungle

Jungle
David Brendan Hall
Jungle
David Brendan Hall
Jungle
David Brendan Hall
Jungle
David Brendan Hall

Chromeo

Chromeo
David Brendan Hall
Chromeo
David Brendan Hall
Chromeo
David Brendan Hall
Chromeo
David Brendan Hall

Phoenix

Phoenix
David Brendan Hall
Phoenix
David Brendan Hall
Phoenix
David Brendan Hall
Phoenix
David Brendan Hall

Corona Capital

Corona Capital
David Brendan Hall
Corona Capital
David Brendan Hall
Corona Capital
David Brendan Hall
Corona Capital
David Brendan Hall
Corona Capital
David Brendan Hall
Corona Capital
David Brendan Hall
Corona Capital
David Brendan Hall
Corona Capital
David Brendan Hall
Corona Capital
David Brendan Hall
Corona Capital
David Brendan Hall
Corona Capital
David Brendan Hall
Corona Capital
David Brendan Hall
Corona Capital
David Brendan Hall
Corona Capital
David Brendan Hall

Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire
David Brendan Hall
Arcade Fire
David Brendan Hall
Arcade Fire
David Brendan Hall
Arcade Fire
David Brendan Hall
Arcade Fire
David Brendan Hall
Arcade Fire
David Brendan Hall

The Hives

The Hives
David Brendan Hall
The Hives
David Brendan Hall
The Hives
David Brendan Hall
The Hives
David Brendan Hall
The Hives
David Brendan Hall

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. .