Mission San Juan Capistrano held its seventh annual Battle of the Mariachis Festival on May 21, drawing approximately 4,000 fans.

The daylong event featured talented Southern California mariachi bands, plus one from Idaho, which competed for cash prizes before a panel of judges. Mission officials said the festival was made possible thanks to support from the Thomas J. and Erma Jean Tracy Family Foundation.

"With the Tracy Family Foundation's continued support, this year’s event was the most successful yet," Mechelle Lawrence-Adams, Executive Director of Mission San Juan Capistrano, said in a statement. "We had so many bands we needed to turn some of them away! The community came together in this incredible landmark to celebrate mariachi music and leave with a lifelong memory. The performers were inspiring, and our emcee was both gracious and welcoming. Our entire team worked tirelessly to deliver a community program to be proud of and to represent San Juan Capistrano well on its occasion of its 50th birthday."

Battle of the Mariachis Festival winners were:

First Place ($2,000)
Mariachi Chula Vista (15 performers, ages 14-27)

Second Place ($1,500)
Mariachi de Uclatlán (12 performers, ages 18-31)

Third Place ($1,000)
Plaza de la Raza Youth Mariachi Ensemble (16 performers, ages 9-16)

Honorary Mention ($750)
Mariachi Juvenile Azteca (San Diego)

Tom Tracy Award ($500)
Soloist on the Ranchera, Mariachi de Uclatlán

Held in the Mission’s Central Courtyard, festivities included performances by Genesis Codina and Mariachi Capistrano. Throughout the day a Mariachi-inspired bilingual marionette show by Franklin Haynes Marionettes was performed in the front courtyard along with the usual Panning for Gold experience offered each weekend. The historic Mission bells rang in revelry at 10:30 a.m. to mark the start of the Festival.

The event was emceed by Laura Garciacano Sobrino, who was first dubbed the "Mariachi Queen" in 1995 by the Los Angeles Times. In 1996, an NBC national morning show featured a segment on her as a pioneer female mariachi and as a positive role model for the new generation of mariachi musicians. This year marked her second return as the Festival's emcee.