December 29th is National City’s very first festival, Chrome City. Hosted and created by Wabbit Presents, the festival highlights POC artists and local artists.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING EVENT, CHROME CITY. HOW WOULD YOU BEST DESCRIBE THIS FESTIVAL?

“Our upcoming event, Chrome City, will be National City's first music festival filled with Latino-fronted artists and local food, drink, vintage, and art vendors. Chrome City is a tribute to the upcoming community of National City and gets its name from National City's iconic Mile of Cars.”

HOW WAS THE PLANNING PROCESS OF CHROME CITY BEEN?

“The planning process of Chrome City has been majorly smooth. Usually, I took the initiative for most of my projects and did everything by myself. For this project, I am super blessed to have people with the same beliefs and goals as me to help me accomplish this project. The whole project came about when I met Mark of Floats at the Happy Daps Festival; we had a short but memorable conversation about the importance of highlighting POC artists. Later, Floats reached out to me, saying they wanted to stop in San Diego to play a Wabbit Show because they really support me and what I am trying to accomplish. We decided on December 29th, and then Chrome City was born. Thanks to my other great friends and co-founders of the festival, The Fazes. They have contributed to the festival in many ways, making it smoother. Isela of The Fazes created the original graphic of Chrome City, and then we both created the rest of the flyer. Joseph of Home View also helped with the marketing material for the event. All these amazing people actively helping bring the vision to life are a huge part of why I love doing this and why it is running smoothly.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE PART AND THE MOST CHALLENGING PART ABOUT THE PLANNING PROCESS?

“My favorite part of running the event is seeing how willing the bands are to make it happen. Not only the bands but also all the friends I made along the way in the scene. Everyone involved is down to contribute in any way they can, thus making it a community-run event. The most significant difficulty we have all run into has been the radius clauses our secret headliners have with other shows, making it difficult for us to announce this show with their names. Also, working with managers who are looking for their band to get the best guarantee was a new experience, and it puts pressure on ensuring this event is executed exceptionally well. This also raised a lot of anxiety with the uncertainty of things. This interview reveals one of our secret headliners as a little treat.”

WE LOVE HOW YOU STRIVE TO UPLIFT AND SHINE LIGHT ON POC ARTISTS. TELL US MORE ABOUT HOW THIS IS IMPORTANT TO YOU AND OUR COMMUNITY. 

“I strive to uplift and shine a light on POC artists' roots from growing up and feeling underrepresented by the music community. I acknowledge that this is actively changing and has been changing for years. What I first saw going to shows is that amazing POC musicians were rarely considered to be in the spotlight for shows or events in general, and I firmly believe that we are all still overlooked, whether it is on purpose or not. So, my goal with everything I do is to first offer that form of spotlight to the community I come from while still accepting and showing everyone that they are cared for and seen. I've always wanted to be recognized as the organizer that offers space to POC artists. The community of National City is explicitly Mexican and Filipino dominant; thus, creating an environment where we don't feel outcasted and comfortable has always been super important.”

WHAT CAN ATTENDEES LOOK FORWARD TO ABOUT CHROME CITY?

“Our guests for Chrome City should look forward to a liquid lights show, the best aguas frescas by Aguas Benditas, free Chrome City souvenirs, and many opportunities to shop from tons of local businesses!”