JC Fandango

Jose Castellanos envisioned "Todos somos Hermanos" (We are all Brothers) as being a maxim for his Latin nightclub, JC Fandango founded in 1986. 15 years later that maxim still holds strong. The ethnical diversity found at JC Fandango is something that the Castellanos family is very proud of and they work hard to keep the club's atmosphere in a league of its own.

Jose and Ofelia Castellanos opened their first restaurant in the city of Orange in the late 70's, fulfilling a dream they had both shared. This was only the beginning because Jose had another dream, to entertain. His passion for music drove him to open his first restaurant nightclub in Anaheim by the early 80's and shortly after a second nightclub in Fullerton. An American Dream come true...

well, not just yet.

Jose had his sights even higher. This time he wanted to open an up-scale supper club with an International Latin cuisine and live entertainment with the finest tropical orchestras from all over Latin Amercia. What did he do? On the 16th of September in 1986, he did just that.

JC Fandango opened to immediate success filling a niche for an up scale Latin nightclub. Live orchestras playing salsa, cumbia and merengue, fine Latin dining and unsurpassed service.

Jose took the club to another level by bring International tropical artists to the club. Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Oscar D'Leon and Frankie Ruiz are just a few of the many tropical artists that graced the JC stage. JC Fandango also gave the local tropical orchestras a new venue to perform. Pioneering the salsa movement back in the mid 80's, JC Fandango was one of a few venues in all of Southern California presenting live salsa and merengue orchestras every week.

The club expanded in 1992 by adding a second room next door to the existing nightclub. The second room was opened playing a mix of house and techno music. This offered an alternative to the all tropical format of the main room and introduced salsa to a new generation of dancers.

In 1994 JC Fandango pioneered an emerging format of latin music called rock en español. The movement started with a club night dedicated to rock pop en español. Shortly after, JC Fandango became one of the first venues in the US to present international latin rock acts. Some of the early performers on the JC stage include, Caifanes, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, La Ley and Café Tacuba. JC Fandango also supported the local scene by booking local latin rock acts, giving these acts an opportunity that many other venues were not. Up and coming international latin rock acts also found a home to showcase their talents.

Pop acts were not over looked either, Paulina Rubio, Kabah, Moenia, and Alejandra Guzman performed at JC Fandango in 1997 and 1998.

Heavy hitters in the latin alternative scene, Gustavo Cerati (Soda Stereo) and Manu Chao (Mano Negra) both members of legendary Latin rock groups played JC Fandango in 2000, hitting the US for the first time as solo artists.

In the year 2000, continuing with its visionary legacy, JC Fandango began featuring Norteño artists of the likes of Ramon Ayala, Los Huracanes del Norte, Lupillo Rivera and Los Rieleros del Norte, just to name a few.

Through the years, JC Fandango has established itself as a world renowed nightclub and concert venue. The JC stage has presented artists from around the globe (Spain, Germany, France, Japan, Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Venezuela, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and the US). Week in and week out the club has entertained over 1.5 million music lovers since JC opened it's doors.

From it's inception, JC Fandango has seen many things change, patrons, music, trends, competitors. One thing remains the same. People go to JC Fandango to be entertained and JC Fandango continues to entertain...
---www.jcf.com