Milpa Music Festival on Uniting Local Brands and Music

Taking place on November 12th and 13th is the inaugural 2-day Milpa Music Festival on The Ecology Center’s world-class, 28-acre non-profit regenerative organic farm in South Orange County (San Juan Capistrano), which will be highlighting the sites, sounds, and flavors of the Milpa season: corn, beans & squash. Featuring 18 local bands, local craft drinks, and very-local food — grown just a stone’s throw from the music stage.

“Milpa” is the ten-thousand-year-old tradition of intercropping corn, beans, and squash — the original regenerative organic agriculture. The first annual Milpa Music Festival will focus on the rhythm of the earth (and local bands), featuring musical acts who are committed and passionate about the environment, sustainable agriculture, and food security.

The two day festival will include music from local Orange County acts from the likes of:

The Mattson 2 (San Diego), Anna St Louis (LA), Austin Leonard Jones (Ojai), Aviator Stash (San Diego), Black Pool (San Diego), Foreignlocal. (San Diego), Gazoota (Orange County), Junaco (LA), Kacey Johansign (LA), Massage (LA), Semi Trucks (Orange County), Sweet Nobody (Long Beach), Well Well Well (San Diego), Lover Sonico (Orange County), Molina & Caro (LA), Tambor (LA), and more.

Photo Credit: The Ecology Center

Along with sounds of the local musicians there will be food harvested in the area that will bring together multiple cultures in the inaugural effort. Confirmed so far are:

Peace Pizza + More: The Ecology Center’s pop-up artisan pizza shop featuring farm-made sourdough with produce from the farm, and organic, family-owned grass-fed cheese from Rumiano.

Herbal Tea Bar: Refresh yourself with a cup of nourishing tea blended from Regenerative Organic Certified™ herbs, flowers, and roots grown at The Ecology Center.

Community Seed Saving + Swap: Throughout time, traditional farmers have preserved seed from their best crops to replant the following year, resulting in crop varieties with exceptional resilience and production power. Join us in learning time-tested practices for seed saving in your home or school garden, followed by a community seed swap.

Farm Tour + The Story of Milpa: Take in the beautiful fall colors of The Ecology Center’s 28-acre Regenerative Organic Certified™ farm while learning about the symbiotic relationship of corn, beans, and squash on this special guided tour.

Marigold Garland Making: In Mesoamerican culture, the scent of marigold blossoms (cempasuchitl) was believed to guide ancestral spirits back to visit their loved ones. Weave marigold garlands (with farm-grown marigolds) to honor the land’s ancestors and their legacy that nourishes us today.

Be sure to mark your calendars and reserve your tickets to attend.

Nov. 12 // 3pm — 9:30pm and Nov. 13 // 1pm — 7pm

The Ecology Center is located at 32701 Alipaz St San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675.

Adults: $45 // Children 5–12: $20 // Children Under 5: Free (Prices listed are for one-day ticket.)