Thousands of revelers take over East LA at Boyle Heights Youth Fest

ByBrandon De Hoyos and Carlos Quintana Raya KABC logo
Monday, June 8, 2026 2:43PM
Boyle Heights Youth Festival attracts thousands of revelers to East LA

Thousands gathered in Boyle Heights Saturday for a day of free family fun at one of Los Angeles' largest youth-led celebrations.

For more than a decade, the Boyle Heights Youth Fest has invited families to take to the streets of East LA with live music, performances, games and giveaways.

For months, a board of youth leaders, ages 14 to 24, worked to organize this year's festival.

Lead coordinator Adrian Salinas said the board did everything from choose its headliner and mainstage artists, to booking food and activities vendors.

"Here in Boyle Heights, there's not really an event as big as the youth festival," Salinas said. "It has been a lot of work, day by day, but it's been worth it."

"Cobra Kai" co-stars Xolo Maridueña and Jacob Bertrand, the duo behind "The Lone Lobos" podcasts, lent their support again this year as festival ambassadors.

Our ABC7 Street Team was also on hand, offering a free photo booth experience and handing out giveaways from Disney, Marvel, ABC and Nat Geo.

The festival opened with a traditional ceremony, featuring the Ritual Azteca Danzantes ground dancers.

The land acknowledgement was followed with performances by The Majorettes, NSixHundred, singer Arlo Jackson, SENOLAVIE, Livid, The Bystanders and MISA.

Headlining Saturday's event was alternative indie rock band Rangoo, from Tustin, Calif., which joins artist Tony Jupiter this week for its U.S. tour, "The Clown Syndrome Tour."

More than 3,200 people in all came out for this year's event.

ABC7 is the proud media sponsor of BHYFest.

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