The biggest birthday in Cabo San Lucas this October is that of the Land’s End city itself, which turns 478 
years young on October 18th. That’s right. Despite the fact that the tourist age only began about 50 years ago, everyone’s favorite getaway spot on the southernmost rim of the Baja California peninsula has a history that goes back much further. Much, much further.
The written history of Cabo San Lucas began in 1541 when Spanish sea captain Francisco de Bolaños, patrolling the area under the orders of explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and conquistador-in-chief Hernan Cortes, discovered the future vacation destination and named it according to the Catholic calendar…October 18th being the official feast day of Saint Luke. Before Bolaños showed up, the place was simply referred to as Ballenas (the Spanish word for whales) on nautical charts.
Each year to honor its birth a series of local events are held in Cabo San Lucas, including a parade down the main street of Marina Blvd. Such festivities are common in Spanish speaking countries, where they’re called fiestas tradicionales. But in Cabo San Lucas these events are little publicized and draw scant interest from tourists.
October’s other notable birthday, on the other hand, is a very big deal…so big in fact that it draws visitors from around the globe.
That would be the birthday of Sammy Hagar, of course. “The Red Rocker” helped to put Cabo San Lucas on the map–just as surely as Bolaños did before him–when he opened Cabo Wabo Cantina with his then Van Halen bandmates back in 1990, turning “Cabo” into a popular Spring Break destination almost overnight. Hagar’s annual birthday bashes have been a tradition ever since, and continue to sell out months in advance, as they did again this year.
Little wonder that the competition for tickets is fierce. Hagar is rock n’ roll royalty, after all, and has been a star since he first joined Montrose in 1973. He eventually went solo, charting hits like There’s Only One Way to Rock and I Can’t Drive 55 before cycling through a series of supergroups, from Van Halen to Chickenfoot.
Hagar is also Los Cabos royalty, the celebrity figure most associated with life at Land’s End.
Hagar first heard of Los Cabos when he was reading about Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards’ marriage in a music magazine, and he began making plans for his own club soon after his initial visit. He opened Cabo Wabo Cantina with Van Halen in 1990, famously premiering the new Land’s End bar and restaurant with a massive promotional assist from MTV. The Van Halen partnership eventually dissolved–both musically and in Cabo Wabo–even as Hagar steered the venture toward enormous success.
In 1996, Cabo Wabo spun off its own house brand of tequila, likewise known as Cabo Wabo. A scant 11 years later, Hagar was able to sell 80% of his stake in the spirit to the Campari Group, cashing out with a cool $80 million.
The cantina has also proved popular, so much so that additional locations have been opened in Las Vegas, Hollywood and Lake Tahoe. The upshot of this continued success is that Hagar is now as much a business magnate as famous musician, recently adding rum and branded beach bars to his ever growing portfolio.
But Cabo Wabo Cantina is the place that started it all, and it’s where Hagar has celebrated his birthday for 28 of the past 29 years (excepting 2014, when an ill-timed hurricane necessitated a move to Las Vegas).
The tradition continues this year as Hagar turns 72. He’ll headline birthday bashes on Oct. 9, 11 and 13 with his group The Circle, and big-name cameos are almost a given. Although tickets are officially sold out and have been since July, a few first-come first-serve dinner show tickets are always made available. This year, they go on sale at noon on the day before each show, ensuring lines around the block.
And why not? “There’s only one way to rock”, and one place, too: That’s in Cabo San Lucas this October.
For more information about events, activities and villa rentals in Los Cabos, call us TOLL FREE at 1-888-655-4548, visit www.LosCabosVillas.com, or email us at Info@LosCabosVillas.com.
Photo credit: Matt Becker
Upcoming Event Calendar
September
Día de la Independencia (Mexican Independence Day) – Sep. 16
October
Sammy Hagar Birthday Bashes at Cabo Wabo Cantina – Oct. 9, 11, 13
Los Cabos Billfish Tournament – Oct. 13 – 17
Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore Tournament – Oct. 17 – 20
478th Anniversary of Cabo San Lucas – Oct. 18
Bisbee’s Black & Blue Tournament – Oct. 22 – 26
Van Wormer Resort Tuna Shoot Out – Oct. 26
Halloween – Oct 31
November
Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) – Nov. 1 – 2
Pelagic Rock Star Tuna Tournament – Nov. 1 – 3
Ironman Los Cabos 70.3 Half-Triathlon – Nov. 3
21st WON Tuna Jackpot – Nov. 6 – 9
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Nov. 7, 14, 21, 28
Los Cabos Film Festival – Nov. 13 – 17
52nd Annual Baja 1000 – Nov. 19 – 24
Sabor a Cabo International Food & Wine Festival – Nov. 30
December
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Dec. 5, 12, 19, 26
Dressed to the K9s Charity Gala – Date Not Yet Announced
Feast Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe – Dec. 12
Official Start of Whale Watching Season – Dec. 15
Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) – Dec. 24
Navidad (Christmas) – Dec. 25
Nochevieja (New Year’s Eve) – Dec. 31
January
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Jan. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Los Cabos Pro-Am Golf Tournament at Cabo del Sol – Jan. 12 – 16
Tropic of Cancer Concert Series in Todos Santos – Jan. 15 – 19
February
Todos Santos Writers Workshop – Feb. 1 – 8
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27
Todos Santos Artists’ Open Studios Tour – Feb. 7 – 9
San Jose del Cabo Jazz Weekend – Dates Not Yet Announced
21st Annual Baja Hog Rally – Dates Not Yet Announced
Carnaval in La Paz – Feb. 20 – 25
