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The AXE Ceremonia festival, which was taking place this weekend at an ecological park in Mexico City, was suspended by local authorities following the death of two people on Saturday (April 5) when a crane transporting a decorative metal object collapsed.
The cancellation was confirmed on Sunday (April 6) in a message on X by the Miguel Hidalgo mayor’s office, the borough where the event venue is located.
“The teams from the Miguel Hidalgo Government and Legal Affairs, along with the borough’s Civil Protection department and the Administrative Verification Institute of Mexico City, completed the inspection and placed suspension seals at the entrances to AXE Ceremonia in Bicentennial Park,” the mayor’s office stated in its message.
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The deaths of two people, a man and a woman, were confirmed by local authorities in a statement. The festival corroborated the incident through an Instagram story. Following the events, the Mexico City Prosecutor’s Office announced that it has launched an investigation to determine the corresponding responsibilities.
The festival also confirmed the deaths on their Instagram stories. “With deep sadness, we confirm the passing of the two people who were injured during today’s incident,” AXE Ceremonia published. “We are deeply heartbroken by this loss. We are reaching out to their families to support them during this incredibly difficult time and to provide them with all our care and solidarity. The safety of our community has always been our priority, and we continue, as from the very beginning, to maintain close collaboration and complete transparency with the authorities. We will continue to share official updates about the event through our social media channels.”
Mexican newspaper El Universal confirmed the identity of the victims, Miguel Angel Rojas, 26, and Berenice Giles, 28, of structure collapse. They were photographers. The company ECO Live, the festival’s producer, had not responded to a request for information from Billboard Español.
The accident occurred around 5:30 p.m. (local time) when a gust of wind shook a metal structure that fell on two people, according to a statement from the Mexico City Government, issued through the Secretariat of Comprehensive Risk Management and Civil Protection.
“The mentioned structure fell on two people who received pre-hospital care at the scene, and were later urgently transported to the hospital, where they unfortunately passed away,” authorities wrote in the statement.
A photojournalist who captured images of the metal structure collapse shortly after it happened told Billboard Español that, following the crash, several attendees near the point where the crane fell tried to move it to assist the victims trapped beneath it. Paramedics and police officers quickly arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area, as attested by Billboard Español.
“Paramedics from the company hired by the event organizers provided medical attention to a man and a woman for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and various fractures at the site of the collapse,” detailed the Mexican Government on Saturday night in an informational statement through the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) Bienestar program.
The Head of Government of Mexico City, Clara Brugada, addressed the incident in a message on X, where she expressed her sorrow over the events and extended her solidarity to the families and friends of the victims. She also thanked the “quick and efficient response” of the relevant personnel “who acted diligently to secure the area and request immediate medical attention.”
“We will closely monitor the corresponding investigations by the Mexico City Prosecutor’s Office to determine responsibilities,” added the local leader.
Atentos de los lamentables hechos ocurridos esta tarde en el Parque Bicentenario. Mi solidaridad con familiares y amigos de las personas que desafortunadamente perdieron la vida tras el accidente. Agradezco la rápida y eficiente respuesta del personal de la @PBI_SSC, de la…— Clara Brugada Molina (@ClaraBrugadaM) April 6, 2025
The mayor of Miguel Hidalgo, Mauricio Tabe, also addressed the incident and expressed his solidarity with the families of the victims. “I deeply regret what happened today during a private event at Bicentennial Park. My deepest solidarity goes out to the families of the victim,” the mayor wrote on X.
According to a statement issued by the Miguel Hidalgo mayor’s office, the incident may have been caused by the installation of additional cranes by the organizers, which had not been included in the program submitted to authorities for the pre-festival inspection.
Local authorities stated that, as this was a private event, the project director and the official in charge of Civil Protection, both hired by the festival organizers, will be subject to the investigation initiated by the Mexico City Prosecutor’s Office.
Following the crane collapse and the two fatalities it caused, AXE Ceremonia continued on Saturday with headline performances by corridos tumbados superstar Natanael Cano, British pop diva Charli XCX, and South Korean boy band Tomorrow X Together, according to Billboard Español. The festival’s director, Diego Jiménez, had stated in a prior interview that an attendance of 55,000 people was expected on the first day.
On Sunday (April 6), the second day of the festival’s activities, the highly anticipated return of British trip-hop group Massive Attack to Mexico City was expected, along with performances by American rapper Tyler, The Creator, Argentine duo Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso, Argentine-Spanish artist Nathy Peluso, and California-based indie pop band The Marías, among others.
With her performance debut in Mexico, Olivia Rodrigo reached a new milestone by playing the largest solo concert of her career to date, as she revealed onstage. The Guts superstar packed the Estadio GNP Seguros on Wednesday night in a sold-out show. The venue in the capital city has a capacity of 65,000 people, according to information from the promoter OCESA.
“Do you guys know that this is the biggest show that I’ve ever played in my f—ing life?! I literally… My eyes can’t believe it. Oh my God! Thank you guys so much for being here,” Rodrigo said, visibly emotional, during her first of two nights at the iconic stadium (formerly known as Foro Sol).
The singer/songwriter surpassed the attendance of more than 50,000 people she had achieved last October in the Philippines, where her family is originally from.
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Her visit to Mexico is part of the Latin American leg of her Guts World Tour, with her first stadium shows in Brazil and Mexico. Prior to the Mexican capital, Rodrigo performed her first solo concert in the region in the Brazilian city of Curitiba.
In her first visit to Latin America, the 22-year-old star also participated in the Chilean, Argentine and Brazilian editions of the Lollapalooza festival late last month. In Colombia, she was part of the lineup for the Estéreo Picnic festival. This summer, she will also headline Lollapalooza on Aug. 1 at Grant Park in Chicago.
During her performance in Mexico City, Rodrigo told the audience that it was one of her favorite cities and that she had already tried some traditional tacos, visited the Museo Casa Azul of the iconic painter Frida Kahlo, and attended a lucha libre wrestling match.
Although there were mixed feelings because the show in Mexico, like in South America, did not feature the original production of the Guts World Tour, with the massive catwalk and giant hanging moon, and her setlist was shorter than usual, her thousands of fans, mostly young girls, gave the American singer a warm reception.
The three-time Grammy winner’s setlist included hits such as “Obsessed,” “Vampire,” “Love Is Embarrassing,” “Lacy,” “So American” and, one of the most anticipated songs of the night, “Good 4 U.”
St. Vincent performs at the Estadio GNP Seguros (formerly known as Foro Sol) in Mexico City.
Liliana Estrada
The opening act for Rodrigo’s shows was Texas indie rocker St. Vincent, who released an album entirely in Spanish, Todos Nacen Gritando, late last year — a version of her Grammy-winning album All Born Screaming (2024). In her return to Mexico City, following her appearance at the previous edition of the Corona Capital festival, Annie Clark (her real name) was joined by Nine Inch Nails drummer Ilan Rubin as part of her band.
On Thursday night (April 3), Rodrigo will perform her second concert at the Estadio GNP Seguros before traveling to the northern city of Monterrey to participate in the Tecate Pa’l Norte festival over the weekend.
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