Student Story

Meet Alex - My hands-on industry experience at Mexico’s P’al Norte festival

Alex Smith discusses his time working behind the scenes at one of Latin America’s biggest music festivals.

Pal Norte Festival - B&W

Alex Smith, a Foundation student in the Live Experience Design & Production major, had worked a couple of music festivals before but his recent week at the P’al Norte festival in Mexico, seeing everything in action on such a large scale was on a different level altogether. For six days Alex had the chance not only to shadow industry professionals, but also to gain hands-on experiences, working behind the scenes.

Getting hands on at P'al Norte

Alex was chosen to travel to P’al Norte after working at THE Conference, an event that brings an international contingent of nearly 1,000 live event professionals to Rock Lititz. His participation was made possible through a grant from 333 Limitless Foundation, which was established by Ryan Aviation Group. The opportunity also was made possible through the innovative degree program partnership PCA&D has with The Academy of Live Technology (ALT) at Rock Lititz.

Tecate P’al Norte is a dynamic six-day music festival that brings together over 90 artists across nine stages, offering an eclectic mix of genres and unforgettable performances. With its vibrant atmosphere and diverse lineup, it's a celebration of music, culture, and community, making it a must-attend event for fans and festival-goers alike.

student backstage at a festival

I’d definitely recommend to other students that they take advantage of opportunities such as this offered by PCA&D-ALT.

Alex Smith

With acts like blink-182, Peso Pluma, Imagine Dragons, and Sum 41, the festival was a great opportunity to get real-world experience at an international level. Alex explained that for him, the long days and nights working across the week-long experience were completely worth it for the invaluable on-the-ground experience, getting to shadow industry professionals as they worked through things such as language barriers and competing priorities. 

Marisa Rinchiuso, Project & Operations Manager for ALT at Rock Lititz, explains that there was a lot more going on at Tecate Pal Norte than just the music  - they're huge undertakings with corporate activations, design, and production behind the scenes.  “so many components of live events are present, from a design/draft/build perspective – it’s so much more than the concert or event itself.” Adding that the partnership between PCA&D and ALT has opened up some seriously cool doors for students to learn the ins and outs of large-scale events.

Victor Gutiérrez, production manager of the Tecate P’al Norte festival, wrote on LinkedIn that opening up opportunities such as Alex’s experience is a win for the live event industry.

“Transmitting our knowledge to the youngest strengthens the live event field. Tecate Pal Norte will continue looking to support new talent, raising awareness, mentoring, and helping exemplary human beings who enjoy the work and life of our industry.”

If you're inspired by Alex's experience and want to find out how you can get involved, check out the BFA Live Experience Design & Production course details via the link below.

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